The Third Angel
by Mist2393
Summary: A girl moves to town, possessed by a mysterious woman from Dark's past. Double OC, Double OC pairing Dark/OC Daisuke/OC Rated T for later violent chapters
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first posted DN Angel Fic, and likely the first one of my chapter fics that will actually be finished, since it actually already is finished on my computer. For now, it's fairly light, but later on it will get kind of violent. It's a Dark/OC Daisuke/OC fic, so sorry if you don't like that stuff. Also this early stuff is from like, three years ago, so sorry if it's not very good. Completely un-beta'd, so all mistakes are mine.**

**I do not own DN Angel. The only thing I own are some ocs and a very erstwhile muse.**

Nathalia hopped down, landing on the damp, puddle-strewn street silently, glancing around. Suddenly, the sound of wings flapping reached her ears, and a single black feather landed on the ground in front of her. Nathalia bent and picked up the single feather, sniffing it curiously. _He's back_, she thought to herself, glancing up in time to see a winged figure land in the woods nearby. Nathalia ran into the woods, seeing Dark just as he turned a corner. Nathalia sighed, then ran to catch up with him. Finally, after about five minutes, Dark spun around angrily.

"Who are you? Why are you following me?" he demanded, anger flashing in his violet eyes. Nathalia looked like she had been slapped.

"If you don't remember, then it doesn't matter," she said. She spun and ran away, Dark watching in confusion.

Kiri awoke to the beeping of her alarm and slapped the button, shutting the alarm off. She sat up and shook her head, trying to clear away the last lingering remnants of sleep. Sliding out of bed, she pulled on her school uniform and combed her shoulder-length hair out quickly. Kiri ran downstairs and grabbed a piece of toast.

"Bye mom!" she called as she left through the front door. There was no real reason for her to be hurrying, but it was her first day in a new school, the fifth one this year, and she wanted to arrive early so she could get acquainted with the layout of the building. Half-way to school, she literally ran into a boy with spiky red hair.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to," she stammered, bowing slightly and avoiding making eye contact with the boy.

"Don't worry about it," the boy assured her, grinning.

"M-my name's Thudinia Kiri. My mom and I just moved in," Kiri told the boy, bowing again.

"I'm Niwa Daisuke. Come on, I can help you get to school," the boy offered, taking a few steps away. Kiri smiled faintly and followed Daisuke to school, where the teacher brought her up in front of class.

"Class, we have a new student. This is Thudinia Kiri. Her family just moved here from up north. Please show her a warm welcome," the teacher announced. Kiri bowed, a pained look on her face. As soon as the teacher released her, she took a desk at the very back of the classroom, looking like she wanted to disappear. After school, she left almost before anyone had even noticed, and as soon as she was home, she went into her room.

"I don't like school," she said, seemingly to herself.

"_Most kids your age don't," _Nathalia's voice responded. Kiri sighed and sat down on her bed, then pulled out a notebook.

"Yeah, but I don't like it 'cause I'm tired of trying to make friends in new schools just because…." Kiri retorted, trailing off.

"_Because your mother makes us all move every time someone finds out about me?"_ Nathalia guessed. Kiri could imagine Nathalia's eyebrow raising.

"Yeah. Maybe this time'll be different," Kiri said hopefully, shrugging. She turned on her TV and listened idly to the news as she began to write something down.

"_Maybe. Although it's going to be harder for us to make a name for ourselves when Dark has already started stealing,"_ Nathalia commented, a tone of disappointment in her voice.

"Well, we'll just have to try our best," responded Kiri, nodding emphatically. She pulled a quill out of her bedside table and hunched over her notebook, taking care to write with perfect calligraphy. She held up the finished product to examine it.

"_I think you're getting better,"_ Nathalia remarked, a hint of pride in her voice.

"I'll ask mom if she can deliver this for us tomorrow," Kiri decided. She put the paper on her desk to dry overnight then got ready for bed.

"_Is Dark doing anything tonight?"_

"I don't think so. I didn't hear anything on the news or at school today."

"_I'll have to wait to talk to him then. I'm not even sure I want to…."_

"I'm sure Dark will remember you soon. But didn't you tell me that it's been over two hundred years since you last met?"

"_Yeah, I suppose you're right. I just have to give him some time."_

"G'night, Nathalia." With that, Kiri slipped into bed and fell almost instantly asleep. The next morning, she awoke to the same blaring alarm and put on her uniform. When she ran downstairs today, her mother, Thudinia Kyoko, was sitting at the table. Kiri handed her the paper Kiri had worked on the night before.

"Can you deliver this for me, mom?" Kiri asked, cocking her head to one side.

"Of course, Ri. Be careful tonight," her mother replied, grinning.

"Tell that to Nathalia," retorted Kiri as she ran out of the house. She made it to school a few minutes early and went to her desk, pulling out a hand drawn map. She began tracing a finger through the hallways on the map, then jumped as someone in the front of the room shouted.

"Dark's sent out another note! This will be my chance to make the front page!" a boy shouted, fist pumping. Kiri rolled her eyes, then went back to work, although not without noticing the strange look that Daisuke had on his face.

"_Wait, tonight? But I just scheduled something for tonight!"_ Nathalia's voice complained.

"Well, when you're done with that, you can go find him," Kiri promised, smiling slightly.

"_But what if he finishes as soon as I'm supposed to be starting?"_ demanded Nathalia, a slight whine in her voice. Kiri laughed.

"There will be other nights for you to be a stalker," she joked, still laughing. Her laughter, although quiet, attracted the attention of Daisuke. He walked over to her, a questioning look in his eyes.

"Is something funny?" he asked, a tone of genuine curiosity in his voice.

"I-I was just remembering something I heard last night," lied Kiri smoothly, smiling at Daisuke. Before Daisuke could reply, the teacher called for attention. When lunch finally came, Kiri found herself a private spot underneath a tree and pulled out her map and a pen.

"Where did you say the painting was?" Kiri inquired, cocking her head to one side.

"_In the room at the top left of this map,"_ replied Nathalia. Kiri put a small 'x' in that room and began examining the map critically. She pulled out a picture of the museum and placed her map over it, trying to figure out where the best places to enter the building were.

"If we go in this window and drop a smoke bomb here, we should be able to pull this off," remarked Kiri, pointing to the places she was talking about with her pen.

"_Sounds good. Now, will we leave through the same window?" _Kiri could hear the curious tone in Nathalia's voice and cocked her head.

"That'll be up to you. I never plan the escapes, remember. Too many things might happen to mess up that plan." Kiri shrugged. She heard someone approaching and hurriedly shoved the map and picture back into her bag, then looked up to see a girl walking towards her.

"I'm Harada Risa. Would you like to come eat with us?" the girl offered, waving a hand towards where a group of girls was all eating together.

"N-no thank you, Harada-san. I have somewhere I need to be," Kiri replied, taken aback slightly at the offer. She stood, bowed to Risa, and walked away, back into the school building. After school that day, she walked home silently, looking up once to realize that she was just behind Daisuke. Kiri sighed quietly. She was in a hurry, and she wasn't sure what Daisuke would do if he noticed her.

"_Don't sigh like that. It makes sense that he walks home the same way you do. After all, you live down the street from him,"_ Nathalia chided, a hint of laughter in her voice.

"Nathalia, be quiet. And don't laugh at me," exclaimed Kiri, though she blushed slightly.

"_You should try to make some friends here. Maybe your mother won't make us move, and we'll be able to stay here."_

"You're just hoping she won't make us move so you can stay in the same town as him."

"_Well, it only took five moves to convince your mother to let us move here!"_ Nathalia sounded almost defensive, and now it was Kiri's turn to laugh. Kiri arrived home about half an hour later.

"Mom, I'm home!" she called, dumping her bag by the front door.

"Welcome home, Ri," Kiri's mother called, running into the room from the basement. Kiri smiled at her mom's somewhat disheveled appearance, but said nothing as she went to go into her room. Once she was through her door, she began to get dressed, pulling on a black tank top and black pants.

"_Time to transform," _Nathalia said as Kiri looked at herself in the mirror.

"What are you talking about? We still have three hours," Kiri retorted, sitting down on her bed and turning on the TV. A reporter was on, standing in front of the museum and surrounded by the police and other reporters.

"Another note from Dark has been found, threatening to steal the "Turbulent Waters" painting that was just put on display yesterday," the woman reported.

"_What? Why does he have to steal _that_ painting?" _Nathalia demanded, the anger clear in her voice.

"Isn't that the one we decided to steal?" asked Kiri, cocking her head.

"_Unfortunately. What are we going to do now?"_ With every word that Nathalia said, anger, as well as sadness, crept more and more into her voice. Kiri shrugged and turned back to the TV.

"The police have also received a note from an unknown calling themselves 'Nats'. This new thief is threatening to steal the same painting at the same time," the reporter was saying.

"At least they took us seriously enough to report our note," remarked Kiri, raising an eyebrow. She flipped off the TV and pulled her notebook off her table.

"_What are you up to now?"_ Nathalia inquired curiously.

"I don't know. I gotta pass the time somehow," answered Kiri, shrugging. Nathalia chuckled.

"_You could always let me take over. I could go spy on that Niwa kid. He seems somehow….off,"_ she suggested.

"So do I, doesn't mean people should spy on me," argued Kiri, standing and walking over to her bookshelf. She pulled a book off the shelf and began reading.


	2. Chapter 2

**This chapter is slightly shorter (only slightly though), but it's got more action. We learn a little more about Nathalia, yay. Anyway, I forgot to tell you in the last chapter that this is based off the manga, so the stealing is going to be more for fun than to perform satanic rituals in the basement. ****I think that's all you need to know for now.**

**I own none of this, except Kiri and her mother and Nathalia. Everything else belongs to somebody else. Even the plot belongs to my muse.**

Nathalia took off from Kiri's rooftop at seven-thirty, her silvery wings spreading and propelling her easily over the city. Nathalia loved the feeling of flying, watching the people as small as ants beneath her.

"_Nathalia, there's Dark!"_ Kiri exclaimed. Nathalia glanced up to see Dark in front of her, and she sighed again.

"Well, I suppose we'll have to race," she remarked, a hint of challenge in her voice. She flapped her wings twice, pushing herself slightly higher in the night sky. She sped up and soon passed Dark, dropping down and turning so she could face the other winged thief.

"You again?" demanded Dark, a hint of anger in his voice.

"Me again. Have you remembered me yet?" asked Nathalia, grinning.

"No. And I'm going to ask you again. Who are you?" responded Dark, still sounding angry.

"I am Na-" Nathalia began, but was cut off as something slammed into her from the left. Nathalia righted herself and turned to see a man with blonde hair and white wings.

"Krad? What are you doing here?" Nathalia demanded, stopping dead.

"Who are you?" Krad asked, giving the silver-winged woman a weird look. Nathalia sighed.

"As I was telling Dark, I am called Nathalia. Though I never imagined I would have to tell you two that," answered Nathalia, flapping her wings once and sending silver feathers flying towards both Krad and Dark, who both caught the feathers and examined them. Nathalia could see a dim memory stirring in Dark's eyes, while Krad's face remained unreadable.

"What am I supposed to do with a feather?" the blonde demanded, giving Nathalia a look of pure hatred.

"Well, that depends on whose feather it is. You don't have to do anything with mine, that's my job, you see," responded Nathalia, her voice joking, even though her eyes were hard. She closed her eyes, and her feather began to glow light blue. After a few seconds, Krad began to transform, and soon a boy with blue hair was falling through the sky. Nathalia dropped down and caught him easily, then flew back up until she was even with Dark.

"I'll let you steal the painting tonight. Hopefully next time we won't target the same thing," she said. Before the bewildered man could respond, Nathalia was flying away. After a few minutes, she landed next to an ambulance and knocked on the door. The driver looked over in surprise and jumped a foot in the air when he saw the winged figure carrying an unconscious boy.

"This boy will be unconscious for at least a day. If you would make sure he's safe, it would make me quite happy," Nathalia told the ambulance driver. She placed the boy gently on a bench next to the ambulance, then spread her wings and flew away.

"_What now?"_ Kiri asked.

"We go back to the museum and watch Dark work. I'm kind of curious about whether or not he's improved since I last knew him," answered Nathalia. She flew them back to the museum and hovered directly above the police and media for a few seconds, waiting for the people below her to take notice. After about a minute, people began to point and shout, and Nathalia suddenly found herself to be the center of attention. She did a few flips, then flew off as soon as she saw Dark leave. She sped home in front of him and landed on Kiri's rooftop.

Kiri made her way to school the next day, slightly more tired than usual. She yawned for what must've been the hundredth time that morning. Whenever Nathalia used magic, no matter how little she used, Kiri was always the one that was exhausted the next day.

"_I'm sorry, Kiri. It's just, Krad is _not_ a good person and I didn't want to deal with him,"_ Nathalia apologized.

"Don't worry about it, Nathalia. I'll be fine," Kiri assured her, yawning again. She turned a corner to see Daisuke a few metres in front of her.

"Niwa-san, wait up," Kiri called, running to catch up. Daisuke smiled at her, but remained silent, a distant look in his eyes. Kiri cocked her head.

"_He looks distracted," _commented Nathalia. Kiri simply nodded, then turned so she was walking backwards facing Daisuke.

"Niwa-san, why do you seem so….distracted this morning?" she asked. Daisuke looked up at Kiri in surprise.

"No reason, Thudinia-san," he told her, grinning. Kiri sighed.

"Don't call me that. Call me Kiri. 'Thudinia-san' is my grandmother," she commanded, shaking her head. She cocked her head at Daisuke one last time, sure that something was bothering him, then spun around and skipped away, her brown hair bouncing, causing her to look several years younger than she was. During lunch, as Kiri was eating underneath a tree, Daisuke came over to her, looking angry.

"Kiri-san, where is Satoshi?" Daisuke demanded, stopping a foot away from Kiri. Kiri cocked her head.

"Who is Satoshi?" she inquired, her confusion clear in her voice.

"The boy with blue hair that sits a few desks away from you in class," Daisuke responded. Kiri was clearly still confused.

"_Kiri, Satoshi must be Krad's host, the boy we caught and left by the ambulance last night,"_ Nathalia remarked. A look of recognition dawned on Kiri's face.

"If you're asking _me_ then…" she began, trailing off.

"Dark saw Nathalia land in your house last night," Daisuke told her, nodding.

"Then you must be Dark's host," guessed Kiri.

"That's not the point. You still haven't answered my question."

"Satoshi-san is safe. Nathalia gave him to an ambulance driver. He's probably still asleep though. The spell that Nathalia used makes people sleep for at least twenty-four hours," Kiri assured him, smiling.

"What is Nathalia?" Daisuke asked, sitting down next to Kiri.

"I don't really know. She won't tell me. All I know is that the women in my family have been transforming into her for several generations, although we're not sure exactly when it started," answered Kiri, shrugging.

"_That's not all you know," _protested Nathalia, sounding indignant. Kiri waved her away and stood.

"I have to get going, Niwa-san. I'll talk to you later," she said, bowing to Daisuke before skipping away. She met up again with Daisuke as they both walked home from school, and they smiled at each other.

"Hey Kiri-san," Daisuke greeted.

"Hi, Niwa-san. My mother wanted me to invite you over tonight. She says there's something she wants to talk to us about, and that your mother is already there," Kiri told Daisuke, sounding as though she was working hard to remember the entire message.

"Well, I suppose if my mom is there, I don't exactly have much of a choice," Daisuke responded, although his tone was joking. The pair arrived at Kiri's house twenty minutes later, and they opened the front door and walked into the main room to find both mothers cooking in the kitchen.

"Kiri, you're home!" Kyoko chirped, grinning.

"Hello, mom. You said there was something you wanted to talk to us about," Kiri remarked, although she could pretty much guess what her mother was going to say. She dumped her bag on the floor and sat down on their olive green couch. Daisuke followed her lead, sitting down next to her.

"Well, when you told me that Niwa-san found out about Nathalia, I began to think, and have decided that it's best if we moved again," her mother began. Kiri felt her heart drop in horror. Although she had been expecting it, when her mom said it, that made it real.

"But mom, why do we have to do this every time? I've been through five schools in the last year. I'm tired of being forced to move around all the time!" she protested, standing up in anger.

"Kiri, you know the drill. There is nothing to discuss. Now, go get your notebook from your room," Kyoko retorted. Kiri remained where she was, her eyes glowing defiantly.

"But Niwa-san is- Niwa-san understands. He won't tell anyone," she argued. Daisuke glanced from Kiri to her mother and back, then seemed to realize what was going on.

"I don't care! I told you and Nathalia when we moved here that unless you two were more careful, then we'd have to leave again," Kyoko reminded Kiri. Her daughter said nothing, but seemed to almost swell with anger. Suddenly she glowed faintly and began to grow taller, her hair lengthening and turning silver, her eyes bronzing.


	3. Chapter 3

**We find out more about Nathalia in this Chapter (and by more, I mean almost everything). ****Some light violence, I sorta tried to hide it so it's not too bad. This chapter's probably one of the longest, because there's really no good place for a break in here. Hope you like it.**

**As usual, only Kiri, Kyoko, Nathalia, and the plot are mine. Everything else belongs to somebody else.**

Nathalia stood where Kiri had been a few seconds before. Kyoko gasped, her face turning red with anger.

"I've told you two, you can't switch in front of other people," she admonished, putting down the pan she had been holding.

"We can't help it, Kyoko. You know we change whenever Kiri becomes angry enough. You must remember _that_. And besides, I wanted to let you know my reasons for wanting to stay here," retorted Nathalia.

"I know you're reasons for wanting to stay here. You spent most of your time with me trying to chase after a dream." Kyoko snorted, crossing her arms. Nathalia sighed and turned to Daisuke.

"Niwa-san, I hate to ask you this, but could you please…" she began, spreading her arms. Daisuke nodded, understanding what it was Nathalia was asking. He closed his eyes, and after a few seconds Dark was standing where Daisuke had been. Kyoko took a step back in surprise. Next to her, Daisuke's mother looked confused.

"I still don't understand who you are," Dark told Nathalia, crossing his arms. Nathalia sighed.

"Is now really the time to get into that?" she asked, giving Dark a pained look.

"Yes," everyone else in the room replied as one. Nathalia sighed again.

"_I'm curious too, Nats," _Kiri remarked. Nathalia sat down, then drew breath to speak.

"Two generations after the Hikaris created Krad and you, Dark, they created me. I was created as a weapon against Dark. At first, I served Krad. Anything he told me to do, I did without question. During those days, he could have told me to set myself on fire and I would have done it." Here Nathalia stopped, the memory clearly causing her pain. Her hands were fists on her knees, and she took several deep breaths. There were several seconds of silence before she managed to continue.

"Then one day he gave me the order to kill Dark. He told me that everything else, everything he had ordered me to do, was all just to test me, to see if I would do as he ordered. I told him I would do it. There was nothing else I could do. I left that night, and began hunting Dark. I finally found you, two days later." Here Nathalia looked up at Dark, and there were tears in her eyes.

"Needless to say, I failed. I was weak, and Krad knew I would fail. I could tell when I returned to him. But he punished me anyway. He punished me for three days, then he decided to destroy me. I-I ran. I ran for the rest of that night. And then I started trying to get stronger. I thought that if I could prove to Krad that I could be as strong as he was, then maybe he would take me back and things could go back to normal. It was another year before I felt strong enough to go back to Krad. When I did, he said that all I had to do was capture Dark, and he would take me back. It took me a week, but I finally found you again. This time, I managed to capture you and bring you back to Krad." Nathalia paused, then glanced up at Dark, seeing the slight anger in his eyes and flinching slightly.

"He told me that he just wanted to talk to you, and I believed him. There was no reason for me not to, he was my Master. B-but h-he lied." Nathalia choked and seemed unable to go one. Dark walked over and sat on the couch next to her.

"I remember," he whispered, and Nathalia turned to look at him with eyes full of regret and sadness.

"It was a full month before I could no longer bear it. I confronted Krad, and he told me that I shouldn't concern myself with things that had nothing to do with me. That was when I-I snapped. Krad was there when I was created. He was older than me, sure, but that didn't make him better than me. I attacked him, used up almost all my strength to put him to sleep, just for a little while. Then I carried him down to where Dark was being held. I wasn't supposed to know where that was, but I had followed Krad down there a few times. I left Krad in that room, took Dark, and ran. I didn't really know where I was running to, but I knew I had to get out of there." Nathalia stopped again. By now, tears were flowing freely down her face. She wiped them away and turned away from the room, trying to collect herself again. After a few seconds of silence, Nathalia turned back to the room.

"I passed out as soon as I thought I was safe, and I don't know how long I slept for. When I woke up, it was nighttime, and I could tell by the moon that several days had passed. Dark was still unconscious, and only then did I realize how many injuries we both had. At the time, I couldn't heal. Krad had never taught me any magic, and it took me most of a year just to learn how to put people to sleep. I was so convinced that it had all been in vain and that we would both end up dying in the cave I had hid us in. I did the best I could but I was still so terrified…." Nathalia trailed off, tears beginning to form in her eyes again.

"Nathalia, Dark, do you either of you know why you never transformed back?" Kyoko inquired in a quiet voice, as though she was reluctant to interrupt.

"My host was…gone. Krad had separated us and sent him away. I don't know what happened to him," Dark answered slowly.

"He was safe, hidden. Krad wanted me to kill him, but by then I was already starting to doubt Krad's orders, so I brought the boy back to his house, with a note telling him how sorry I was and that I would leave another message when it was safe for him to leave his house again," Nathalia told them. She stopped talking and took a few measured breaths. She looked down at her hands on her knees, then began to speak again.

"We couldn't leave that cave. I didn't think I could fight Krad again, and Dark was still too weak to move. I spent every day trying to learn how to heal, but all I ever managed to do was relieve the pain a little. Every so often I would sneak out and follow Krad, but once I was almost caught, and so for almost a year we were stuck in that cave. I used Wiz to send messages to the Niwa boy, to assure him that Dark was safe from Krad, and that I would bring Dark to the boy as soon as I thought it was safe. Finally, after about eleven months had passed, Dark began to noticeably recover. It was hard, those first few days." Nathalia stopped again, glancing at Dark, who smiled slightly at the memory.

"I didn't trust you," he stated simply.

"You didn't have a reason to," Nathalia replied, shrugging. She turned back to the two mothers. "Dark was unconscious when I saved him, and for most of the time after that he was only ever semi-conscious. When he fully regained consciousness, it was to find himself alone with the woman that was a servant of Krad who had tried to kill him once and captured him another time. It was an….interesting few days. It was another month or so before Dark was strong enough for us to leave the cave. Like I promised I would, I took him to the Niwa house. I had thought the boy would be happy, but he wasn't. He said it was a trap. I didn't blame him, but…before then I had rarely thought about the consequences of being Krad's servant. In my mind, I didn't have any choice but to serve him, but that boy didn't see it that way." Nathalia choked again and started crying. This time it took a lot longer for her to collect herself.

"He blamed me for everything. He helped Dark inside, then told me that if he ever saw me again, he'd kill me. I ran. I had never seen so much hatred in anyone's eyes before. I went back to the cave. There wasn't anywhere else for me to go. I stayed in the cave for a week. I didn't eat, I didn't sleep. I kept seeing those hate-filled eyes, and the hurt I had felt when I saw them was made worse by the fact that I felt like he was right to hate me. I began to remember all the things I'd done for Krad. And I remembered the off-handed way that Krad had called them 'tests', as though all the pain I had caused meant nothing. By the end of the first week, I had just about given up. I was even starting to consider going back to Krad and letting him do whatever he wanted to me. That was when Wiz showed up. He had a note with him. It was from Niwa, asking me to meet him. Wiz led me to the spot, a clearing in the woods not far from that cave. Niwa was there, waiting." Nathalia stopped, and when she looked at her hands they were almost shaking. Remembering her past like this was almost as physically draining as it was emotionally.

"Nathalia, how is it that you became bound to a host?" Daisuke's mother questioned curiously.

"I'm getting to that," Nathalia replied, though her voice was beginning to sound tired.

"_Nathalia, if you need me to take over, let me know,"_ Kiri told Nathalia, her voice full of pity. Nathalia simply shook her head. Kyoko handed her a glass of water, and Nathalia downed the entire glass in one gulp.

"Niwa told me that Dark had spent the last week telling him that I wasn't as bad as Niwa thought. But Niwa still didn't trust me. He knocked me out, then sealed me. I don't remember anything after that, until sixty years later. A young girl, she must have been around ten or eleven, unsealed me. I don't know why, but I became bound to that girl's body. I was….angry when she found me. I had spent the last sixty years being angry. I felt betrayed. I blamed Dark for the fact that I was sealed, because I thought that everything Niwa had told me that night was a lie. That's why I transform when my host becomes angry enough. The girl told me her name was Thudinia Kaen. She was scared at first, but she listened to my story and by the time I was done, she had calmed down. She helped me see a light and happiness in the world that I had never had a chance to see. Eventually, my anger subsided, and I came to realize that what had happened when I was sealed was a simple misunderstanding, resulting from the things that Krad had done. That's when I began to hate Krad. Not with the burning anger that I had felt when I first woke up, but with a slow, smoldering hatred that grew a little bit every day."

"Kaen told me that she was the niece of a thief, and that she was training with her cousin to be the next generation of thieves. I was with her through most of her training, and when she turned twenty, her uncle retired. Her cousin had fallen in love and turned away from the life of the thief, but Kaen loved stealing. I had to work hard to keep her from stealing the little things. After her training ended, I began teaching her what to steal. Soon, the name 'Nats' was famous. When Kaen went out, I could hear people whispering about us in the streets and markets. As was probably inevitable, we ran into Dark again." Nathalia paused, and Kyoko fetched her another glass of water. While Nathalia drank slowly, Dark took up the story.

"I thought I was seeing a ghost. I had fought against my host when he sealed Nathalia away, but he did it anyway. I knew how strong the seal was that he'd used, and I knew that only a strong person would have been able to break it. I thought that the art thief everyone kept talking about was just some person. I heard that she had wings, and I didn't remember Nathalia ever having wings, so I figured it was just someone trying to copy me. I went to confront the person, and found Nathalia." Dark stopped, seeing that Nathalia was done drinking.

"When I first saw Dark, all those feelings of anger that I'd felt when I was first reawakened came flooding back. Part of me was happy to see him, but the other half wanted to kill him. I was so confused, I ran. I didn't come out again for almost a week, I just let Kaen go about her days unhindered. But then Dark approached her, and she explained everything to him. After that, Dark disappeared for almost two months. And then he broke into Kaen's bedroom." Nathalia gave Dark a look.

"What, I didn't think there was any other way to make you talk to me," Dark said defensively. Nathalia rolled her eyes.

"Anyway, Kaen forced me out, which, I might add, is rather difficult and painful to do, but she did it. But not before she told her parents to lock us in the room and not let us out until they heard her say the password." Nathalia stopped rather suddenly and glanced at Dark. She seemed to decide something, and turned back to the room.

"We talked it out, and the next day we agreed to partner up. We worked together for about a month, and then Dark's host explained who he was to the love of his life and they got married and Dark went away. Before the next Niwa reached fourteen, my host died and I was expelled. This is the first time we've met since then," Nathalia finished.

"So your hosts are only free of you when they die?" Daisuke's mother inquired. Nathalia shook her head.

"They have to be at peace. For Kaen, that didn't happen until she died. For Kyoko, that happened when Kiri was born. It's different for each person. But once my host is at peace, then I am expelled until the next Thudinia reaches ten," answered Nathalia. She sighed, then stood and began to walk upstairs.

"G'night, Nathalia," Kyoko called.

"Good night," Nathalia replied before shutting her door. She sat down on her bed with her head in her hands.

"_Nathalia, do you want me to take over?"_ Kiri asked, the concern in her voice obvious.

"No thank you, Kiri. I think I might-" Nathalia responded. She was cut off by a quiet knock on her door. Nathalia glanced at the door.

"It's open," she called, not leaving her bed. Dark walked in quietly and sat down next to her.

"Are you okay?" he questioned, looking at her in concern.

"_I'm going to sleep, Nats,"_ Kiri's voice told her.

"I'll be fine, Dark. I'm just a little tired," Nathalia assured him, attempting a smile. She yawned and leaned against the wall behind her bed, closing her eyes. Dark leaned back next to her, though he remained awake for most of the night. At some point, Nathalia ended up leaning against him, crying slightly in her sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Carnival time :) Very astute readers may notice the similarities between this chapter and the story arc in which Risa gets kidnapped, and you would be right. I did semi-base this chapter on that, only with Krad instead of ****Argentine and no one gets kidnapped. That just happens to be one of my favorite story arcs. Before you say anything, I know that when Krad and Dark use magic it's suppose to hurt the host (if I remember correctly, it's actually been a ridiculously long time since I've read the manga), but that will all be explained in the next chapter.  
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**You guys know the drill. I don't own this. I probably never will. This is just for fun.**

Kiri awoke the next morning to find Daisuke next to her. She figured Nathalia and Dark must've fallen asleep like that the night before. Kiri slid out of bed carefully, trying her best not to wake Daisuke. Apparently, he was already awake, and Kiri noticed his eyes following her tiredly.

"Good morning, Niwa-san," she greeted, smiling.

"Good morning, Kiri-san," he replied, smiling back. Kiri led the way downstairs, and the two sat down on the couch, watching the news quietly.

"Ri, Niwa-san, how are Dark and Nathalia feeling?" Kyoko asked them as she walked downstairs and into the kitchen.

"I don't know. Nathalia's still asleep," responded Kiri.

"Same with Dark," Daisuke added, nodding. A few minutes later Daisuke's mother walked down from upstairs.

"Morning everyone," she greeted cheerfully before sitting at a stool next to the counter.

"Good morning, Emiko-san," Kyoko answered, casually placing a cup of coffee in front of the other woman.

"Mom, what are you doing here?" demanded Daisuke, his jaw dropping.

"Well, Kyoko-san and I stayed up after Dark and Nathalia went to bed, and by the time we were done talking, I could hardly go home by myself," Emiko explained, shrugging.

"Besides, we always love having company, don't we Kiri?" added Kyoko, looking to her daughter.

"_You_ love having company so you have someone to cook for other than me. I occasionally enjoy having someone to talk to who isn't insane," Kiri corrected.

"But you have Nathalia for that," Kyoko pointed out, pouting slightly.

"Sometimes, Mom, it's nice to talk to someone that doesn't know every thought you have," remarked Kiri, giving her mother an exasperated look. The four people spent most of that day inside, joking around and talking. At one point, Kiri finally became bored and motioned for Daisuke to follow her upstairs.

"We need to do something for Nathalia and Dark," she stated bluntly, leaning against her bed.

"Like what?" inquired Daisuke curiously.

"I don't know. I just feel like we need to do something to show them we care," answered Kiri, shrugging. Daisuke nodded.

"If we're going to come up with something, now would be the best time, since they're both asleep," he remarked.

"That's what I was thinking," agreed Kiri, nodding. She pushed herself up onto her bed and crossed her legs, putting her chin on her closed fist thoughtfully.

"How much do you know about their relationship?" Daisuke asked, sitting down next to her.

"I know about as much as you do, I think. I don't really know that much other than what Nathalia and Dark said last night. I know that Nathalia's spent at least the last two generations looking for Dark, but she's never really told me _why_ she's spent so much time looking for him," responded Kiri.

"There was something they weren't telling us last night," Daisuke stated, looking at the floor in front of him.

"You noticed that too? Yeah, Nathalia is definitely hiding something about that night when they 'talked', I just don't know what," Kiri concurred, nodding. She sighed.

"We could offer them a day where you and I sleep and let them do whatever they want," suggested Daisuke. Kiri glanced at him.

"Yeah, we could do that. Would we leave them together?" questioned Kiri.

"It would make it easier to coordinate. How about we meet at the carnival first thing tomorrow." Daisuke slid off Kiri's bed and walked over to where her notebook lay open on her desk. Kiri followed him with her eyes, cocking her head. Daisuke picked up the notebook, then stopped halfway back across the room. He held the notebook up, eyebrows raised. Kiri blushed slightly. On the page Daisuke was showing her was a near perfect drawing of Dark.

"Nathalia had me draw it so I would know what Dark looks like. Her memory's pretty good," she explained shyly. Daisuke examined the picture critically.

"I don't know if Dark's ever had such a…..tender expression on his face," he commented, sitting back down on the bed.

"That's how Nathalia described him to me. She said that this is how she'll always remember him," responded Kiri, shrugging. Daisuke smiled as he turned the page and reached across Kiri to grab a pen. He began writing something, then showed it to Kiri.

"Today we will be taking a break, but don't let it make you complacent," Kiri read. Now it was her turn to raise her eyebrows at Daisuke. She shook her head.

"What? It's not like I'm actually planning on sending this out," he said defensively.

"I would think not. The media would lose all respect for Dark and Nats if they found this," Kiri responded, shaking her head. She took the notebook and closed it, placing it on the desk just as she felt Nathalia begin to wake up.

"_What time is it?"_ Nathalia's voice asked groggily. Kiri turned to look at the clock. She felt Nathalia's surprise.

"_Five? I slept for _that_ long?" _Nathalia demanded. Kiri laughed as she turned back to Daisuke.

"Nathalia's awake," she told him, still laughing slightly.

"Dark's not, but I don't think he went to sleep until around three or four this morning," replied Daisuke replied. Kiri nodded.

"We should probably head downstairs. I imagine your mother will want to be leaving soon," she commented, walking towards her door.

"I don't know, I think our mothers might never leave each other's side now," joked Daisuke, laughing. Kiri laughed as well, and the two walked into the main room. Kyoko and Emiko were laughing as they cooked something.

"Dai, we'll be heading home after dinner," Emiko told her son as she chopped a carrot.

"Hey mom, is it okay if Daisuke and I go for a walk?" Kiri asked Kyoko, cocking her head.

"Be home in about an hour," Kyoko answered, waving them away with her knife. Kiri led the way outside.

"My mother is scary when she's cooking," Kiri told Daisuke as she led the way down the street, heading towards the edge of town. Daisuke followed, and after twenty minutes, Kiri stopped a vista point on the cliffs that overlooked the ocean that bordered one side of the city. The two fourteen-year-olds sat side by side, not saying a word. Finally, Kiri stood.

"Time to head back?" Daisuke guessed. Kiri nodded as she reached out a hand to help Daisuke stand. The two walked back to Kiri's house and arrived just in time for dinner. After dinner, Daisuke and Emiko left, and Kiri went into her room, flopping down on her bed. She fell asleep quickly. The next day she put on a light blue shirt with a pair of brown cargo pants. She walked downstairs to where her mother was waiting.

"Going somewhere, Ri?" Kyoko asked, taking in Kiri's appearance.

"I agreed to meet up with Daisuke today," she answered, nodding. She pulled on a pair of black leather boots and ran out the door. She arrived at the carnival a few minutes early, so she sat on a bench and waited patiently.

"_Kiri, what are we doing at the carnival?" _Nathalia questioned.

"Nothing, Nathalia. Daisuke and I just figured that we were less likely to be overheard here," Kiri lied, shrugging. About five minutes later, Daisuke appeared. Kiri stood and walked over to him.

"Are you ready?" Daisuke inquired without greeting. Kiri nodded, then closed her eyes. In front of her, Daisuke did the same. Soon, Nathalia and Dark were standing facing each other.

"Kiri, what's going on?" Nathalia demanded as Dark asked Daisuke the same thing.

"_Daisuke and I decided that you two need a day alone together. We're both going to be sleeping all day, so you two can do whatever you want today," _explained Kiri. Nathalia sighed.

"Kiri wants us to spend the day together," Nathalia stated to Dark.

"Daisuke says the same thing," he told her, nodding. They looked at each other for a few seconds, then Dark abruptly turned away.

"So….what do you want to do?" Nathalia inquired, taking a step towards Dark. The man turned and gazed into Nathalia's eyes intensely. They stood in silence for a few seconds.

"While, we're at the carnival, why don't we ride something," suggested Dark, clearly feeling uncharacteristically awkward. Nathalia nodded, and the two walked through the carnival, riding some of the rides, and playing one or two of the games. As darkness fell, Nathalia turned to Dark, who was watching a group of girls who were trying to decide if he was really the Phantom Thief or not.

"Dark, how about we ride the Ferris Wheel," Nathalia said, pulling Dark's arm lightly. Dark looked at Nathalia for a few seconds, then smiled.

"Sure," he agreed, and soon the two were sitting together on the Ferris Wheel, a silence falling over them. When they were at the top, the wheel suddenly jerked, throwing Nathalia into Dark's lap with an "oof".

"S-sorry, she stammered, trying to get up. Unexpectedly, Dark pulled her closer.

"Stay here," he commanded, and Nathalia heard a hint of fear in his voice.

"Dark, what's wrong?" she asked, pulling back just enough to look at Dark's face. He was searching the skies, a worried look on his face. Nathalia turned in time to see Krad land in the car with them. She stood and placed herself protectively in front of Dark.

"You again? Who are you?" Krad demanded, pulling out a feather and preparing to attack Nathalia.

"I told you, I am Nathalia. Now, tell me, why are you here?" Nathalia's eyes flashed defiantly, and something there must have stirred Krad's memory.

"_You_!" he spat out, the hatred plain in his voice.

"It seems you've remembered me," remarked Nathalia, pulling out a feather of her own.

"You won't be able to put me to sleep like last time," Krad told her, although which 'last time' he was talking about was unclear.

"Who said I was about to put you to sleep?" questioned Nathalia. Krad merely sneered at her, then sent a blast of magic at her. Nathalia took the blast, then turned around completely. She reached a hand out to Dark.

"Time to go," she whispered, pulling Dark close to her. She pulled something out of her pocket and dropped it, and soon the car was filled with blue smoke and Nathalia was flying away, still holding Dark close. Krad sent another blast of magic at her, and Nathalia winced as it hit her back full-force.

"Nathalia, let me protect you," Dark pleaded, hating to see the pain in his friend's face.

"No, Dark. I can't do that to you again," Nathalia responded, shaking her head. She winced as another blast of magic hit her back. She folded her wings and they dropped several metres, until they were close enough to the treetops to touch them. She spread her wings out again and flew far out of town, until she was sure Krad had stopped following them. She faltered and began to fall. Dark managed to free himself from her grip just enough to spread his wings and give them a smooth landing as Nathalia fell asleep against his chest. Dark fell to his knees, holding Nathalia closely. Nathalia stirred faintly and smiled up at Dark.

"We made it," she whispered. Her eyes fluttered and she passed out. Dark kissed her forehead, then watched as she transformed back to Kiri, who was panting heavily. Dark loosened his hold slightly, and Kiri grinned tiredly at him.

"Nathalia had fun," she told him before passing out herself. Dark transformed back into Daisuke, who lifted up Kiri and placed her gently on the ground underneath a tree. The next day, Dark flew Kiri back to her house, where he placed her gently in her bed, pulling a blanket over her and explaining to Kyoko what had happened. Kiri and Nathalia slept for several days, during which time either Dark or Daisuke was with them as much as possible, staying in Kiri's room whenever Daisuke was out of school. It was almost two weeks before Kiri woke up to find Dark sleeping quietly in a corner. She smiled at his sleeping form.

"_I guess he was worried,"_ Nathalia commented. Kiri nodded. She allowed Nathalia to take over. The silver-haired woman stood tiredly and walked over to Dark, then knelt next to him and brushed a strand of hair out of his face. Dark's eyes fluttered as he woke up.

"Nathalia, you're awake," he commented tiredly, smiling.

"Yeah, but you're not. Come on, you need some sleep," Nathalia responded. She stood and lifted Dark up, depositing him in the bed she had just vacated.

"You need sleep more than I do," Dark protested, trying to stand.

"Kiri and I have been asleep for days. It's your turn to rest," argued Nathalia, pushing Dark back down. She smiled at him, then seemed to glide out of the room. She transformed back to Kiri halfway down the stairs, knowing the reception that was bound to meet them.


	5. Chapter 5

**I really struggled with where I should end this, so it's a little long. ****Certainly not my longest, but not my shortest either. Anyway, not a whole lot goes on in this chapter. Shippers of Dark/ Risa are going to hate me in this chapter, but I warned you at the beginning it was going to be Dark/OC. We find out more about Kiri's past in this chapter, she's ended up being more mysterious that Nathalia...oh well...**

**As usual, almost none of this is mine, except the OCs and mistakes, and the plot, which is sorta non-existant in some places anyway so...**

Kiri slowly took the last couple of steps into the main room of her house, and was promptly pulled into a tight hug. Her mother held her at arm's length to examine her critically.

"How are you and Nathalia feeling?" she inquired, her eyes soft.

"We feel a million times better," Kiri assured her mother, grinning. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Emiko sitting at the counter, watching the reunion.

"Emiko-san, Dark and Daisuke are upstairs asleep," Kiri told her, pulling away from Kyoko completely.

"I'm sure they are. Neither one of them has slept much since you passed out," responded Emiko, smiling at her. Kiri smiled back, then sat down on the couch. She turned on the TV to a reporter talking about how Dark had not sent out a warning note in quite some time. She turned the TV back off, sighing.

"I'm going back into my room," she told the two mothers, standing and walking back upstairs. She crept into her room silently and sat down, leaning against the bed and falling asleep. The next morning, she woke up to see Daisuke staring at her from only a few inches away.

"Can I help you?" she asked, raising an eyebrow and smiling tiredly.

"I was trying to determine if you were still alive or not," replied Daisuke, smiling back.

"Did you just wake up?" Kiri questioned as she pushed him away and stood up.

"Yep. Although Dark claims he's been awake for hours, but I don't believe him," Daisuke told her, grinning. Kiri laughed and led the way downstairs. Kyoko and Emiko were sitting on the couch together watching the news. It was another reporter saying that still nothing had been heard from Dark. Kiri sighed as she sat down at the counter. Daisuke moved to get her something from the fridge, but Emiko and Kyoko stopped him.

"You sit down and we'll get you both something to eat," Emiko commanded, steering Daisuke onto a stool next to Kiri. Daisuke turned to Kiri.

"Dark blames himself for what happened. He won't admit it, but I can tell that he does," he informed her. Kiri's eyes softened.

"Nathalia said he would. But it's no one's fault," she responded. Emiko and Kyoko stood watching their children happily.

"It's nice for them to have someone who understands," Emiko remarked, smiling.

"Yes. It's been so long since Kiri had a friend. She's always felt distant from everyone, but now she has someone she can be friends with," agreed Kyoko, also smiling. Suddenly, the two children seemed to realize that their mothers were watching them. Daisuke and Kiri glanced at each other, then both rolled their eyes simultaneously and dropped their heads onto their crossed arms on the counter in front of them. Emiko and Kyoko laughed, and soon Daisuke and Kiri were joining in the laughter.

"You have the rest of today and tomorrow until you have to return to school, so you have some time to make sure you're fully recovered," Kyoko told her daughter as she placed a plate of pancakes in front of Kiri.

"Thanks for breakfast, mom," Kiri said as she began eating. She had finished the entire plate within ten minutes, then drank an entire glass of milk in one go.

"I take it you were hungry?" Daisuke guessed, raising an eyebrow at Kiri.

"It has been two weeks," Kiri reminded him as Kyoko served her seconds. Kiri quickly finished her seconds, then finally slowed down on her third serving. She sighed as she finished eating. She stood and walked towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Emiko demanded as she noticed Kiri leaving.

"Nathalia wants to go for a walk. She kind of needs me to do that," answered Kiri, shrugging. With that, she turned and walked out the door.

Nathalia took the now familiar path towards the vista point that she enjoyed sitting at to gaze out over the ocean and think. She sat down and put her chin on her knees, thinking about what had happened before she had passed out. She had no idea why she had suddenly become so protective of Dark. She knew he was more than capable of taking care of himself, but seeing Krad threatening him had triggered something within her, and before she knew what she was doing, she was taking blast after blast in order to protect Dark. She slowly became aware of a presence next to her and turned her head slightly to see Dark sitting next to her, staring out at the ocean. Nathalia rested her head on his shoulder.

"Nathalia, I'm sorry about what happened," Dark whispered.

"Dark, it's not your fault. It's no one's fault. Stop blaming yourself," protested Nathalia. She closed her eyes, and felt Dark rest his head on the top of hers. After a few seconds, he wrapped an arm around Nathalia's slender body, holding her tightly. Nathalia curled up against Dark's side, beginning to fall asleep. Dark smiled at Nathalia tenderly.

They returned to Kiri's house some hours later. There was no surprise in Emiko's or Kyoko's faces as the two thieves went up to Kiri's bedroom. Nathalia flopped down on Kiri's bed, clearly exhausted. Dark pulled a blanket over her and kissed her forehead lightly before sitting on the floor below her, falling asleep almost as quickly as Nathalia did.

Kiri awoke with no memory of what had happened between the time she had left her house last night until just now when she woke up. Daisuke lay asleep on the floor next to her bed. Kiri grinned mischievously, then slipped off her bed and squatted down in front of Daisuke and put her face a few inches away from Daisuke's face. The boy slowly woke up, and his eyes widened when he saw Kiri's face so close.

"Can I help you?" he asked, grinning.

"Just making sure you're alive," Kiri answered, grinning back. The two teenagers went downstairs to where Kyoko was sitting at the counter, watching the news again.

"G'morning, you two," she greeted as they walked into the main room.

"G'morning, Mom," Kiri responded as she went to the fridge. Daisuke sat down on a stool next to Kyoko. Kiri put a glass of juice down in front of Daisuke, then poured her own glass. They spent the rest of that day inside, talking. Daisuke went home after dinner, and Kiri went to bed not long after. She woke up to her alarm the next day and put on her uniform. It felt like months had passed since she'd last been in school, even though it had only been a couple of weeks. She met up with Daisuke on her way in, and they walked into school together. Kiri made it through school, but by the end of the day she was clearly exhausted. She sighed as she left the school grounds, realizing that she still had to walk all the way back to her house. Daisuke was walking in front of her, and next to him was a girl with brown hair that was a little shorter than Kiri's own shoulder-length hair. They were laughing about something, and Kiri felt an uncomfortable twinge of jealousy.

"_You like him, don't you?" _Nathalia asked teasingly.

"No," Kiri protested, blushing. Nathalia laughed.

"_It's perfectly understandable. He's the first person who's truly understood you,"_ she remarked.

"Besides, it's not like you're one to talk."

"_Excuse me?" _Nathalia's voice was suddenly defensive.

"Don't think I haven't realized how you feel about Dark."

"_I assure you I have no idea what you're talking about."_ Nathalia's formal speech told Kiri she was right. Kiri laughed, and she could hear Nathalia laughing as well. Daisuke and the other girl turned down a street a few minutes later, and Kiri walked the rest of the way in silence. Once at home, she dumped her bag and collapsed on her bed, curling up and falling asleep almost instantly. Almost two hours later, she was woken up by a knock at her door. She yawned, then turned towards the door, blinking.

"It's open," she called, shaking her head. Daisuke walked in quietly and sat down in the chair at the desk.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, resting his chin on the back of the chair.

"Better. I'm still really tired all the time, but that's just because when Nathalia passes out, her magic automatically gets used to heal her," answered Kiri, yawning again.

"Doesn't it hurt when she uses magic? 'Cause it hurts when Dark does," Daisuke inquired.

"Not really. It used to at first, but after a year or two it stopped hurting. Now I just get really tired," replied Kiri, shrugging. She slipped off her bed and pulled her notebook out of the drawer in her bedside table. She began sketching something quickly, and after ten minutes she held the notebook up to Daisuke.

"Who is this girl?" she asked, pointing at a drawing of the girl she had seen with Daisuke that afternoon.

"That's Riku-san. She's a friend of mine from school," Daisuke told her. He reached for the notebook and looked at the drawing.

"It's not very good," Kiri commented, looking slightly shame-faced.

"Kiri, this is great. And you've only seen her three or four times," Daisuke told her, grinning. Kiri smiled shyly.

"Thanks. But really, it's nothing. Nathalia has been teaching me, and she's much better than I am," she told him, blushing faintly. Daisuke could tell that Kiri was uncomfortable.

"Kiri, do you not get complemented much?" he questioned curiously.

"Not really. Nathalia complements me a lot, and so does my mom. But I've never really had…well….anyone else," Kiri explained, shrugging. She stared at the floor, as though embarrassed to be talking about it.

"But now you know that your mom won't make you move, so you can start making friends," Daisuke told her, smiling. Kiri smiled back.

"Yep. The last time I had a friend….well….it didn't end well….for Nathalia and I," Kiri said, gazing out her window.

"What happened?" Daisuke asked, sitting down next to her.

"Well, for as long as I can remember, I've been raised knowing that one day I would begin to transform into Nathalia. My mother home-schooled me. She said that we couldn't afford to have anyone know about Nathalia, and she was afraid that as a young child I might let it slip, so I was never really allowed to leave the house. When I turned ten, I started to transform. All I have to do is get really mad, and Nathalia takes over. After that, Mom seemed to realize that I was old enough to know not to tell people about Nathalia, and so she started letting me go to a park near our house. There was a girl there, and we became friends. Every Saturday, we would meet and play games together. I guess we were best friends. We would tell each other anything. That lasted for a year, until one day these older boys started picking on us. They pushed my friend, and her leg got cut really badly. There was blood everywhere. I lost it. It was the first time I had felt that level of anger. I transformed, right there, in front of all those people. Nathalia took the girl to the hospital, and she tried explaining what had happened, but everyone blamed us. They called us a monster. We were chased out of town. That's when my mom moved us to another town, and ever since then we move every time someone finds out that I'm Nathalia." Kiri stopped talking, and she stood up to grab her notebook.

"When did your mother start letting you go to school?" Daisuke asked.

"After we moved, she realized that I would learn to deal with teasing better if I was around kids all day, so she sent me to school," answered Kiri as she opened her notebook to the first page. There was a drawing of a ten-year old girl there, with long black hair held in pigtails and a puffy pink dress.

"Is that her?" Daisuke asked. Kiri nodded.

"My mother makes me draw anyone who finds out about Nathalia. She uses that drawing to perform a ritual that erases memories. That's what she wanted me to do that night, so we could erase your memory and we could disappear. Nathalia and I use it to draw the people that have meant something to us," Kiri informed him, flipping through the pages. Daisuke noticed that some of the drawings had little stars in the corner. Kiri closed the notebook before she made it to the drawing of Dark. She put the notebook on her table and leaned back against the wall behind her, sighing slightly.

"Hey Kiri, I'll be back soon. Dark just told me that he wants to go do something," Daisuke suddenly said, standing.

"There's stairs up to the roof through that door," Kiri responded, pointing to a door on the same wall as her bed. Daisuke nodded and went up to the roof. Kiri listened as she heard the footsteps above her, followed by the slight flapping of wings. She fell asleep, curled up in a ball on her bed.

Risa Harada was in her backyard watching the sky. It had been over two weeks since she'd last seen Dark. She came out here every night, just in case he decided to come. She sighed and was about to head back inside when she heard flapping wings. She turned to see Dark standing a few feet away, a smile on his face.

"Risa, I-" Dark began, taking a step forward.

"Dark, where have you been?" Risa demanded, cutting him off.

"I've been busy. But I need to talk to you," Dark answered. His eyes were apologetic, as though he was sorry to say what he was about to say.

"What is it, Dark?" Risa asked, even though, somehow, she knew what he was going to say.

"I'm not going to be coming around here anymore," Dark told her, turning away to avoid seeing the girl's face.

"Are you breaking up with me, Dark?" demanded Risa. Dark could hear the tears in her voice, and closed his eyes.

"Yes," he replied simply, trying to keep his voice from breaking.

"There's someone else, isn't there. I saw you at the carnival with that woman, and then you haven't stolen anything since," Risa told him, anger entering her voice now. Dark said nothing, he simply turned, smiled at Risa one last time, then flew away.

Kiri awoke when she heard footsteps on the stairs from the roof. She sat up, shaking her head to clear it. She cocked her head as Dark walked in silently, regret in his eyes. Wiz jumped off his shoulder onto the bed next to Kiri and watched Dark worriedly. Before Kiri could do anything, there was a knock at her door.

"Kiri, can you come here?" Kyoko called from outside. Kiri slid off her bed, knocking her notebook on the floor, and went downstairs to her mother.

"What's up?" she asked her mother, cocking her head.

"I want you to transform into Nathalia and just fly over the city. Don't do anything, just remind the city that we're here," Kyoko instructed. Kiri nodded.

"Do you want me to do that right now?" she inquired. Kyoko nodded, and Kiri transformed.


	6. Chapter 6

**This one's slightly shorter because I wanted to end it here. Maybe if you guys are lucky I'll update tonight. Maybe if I'm lucky I'll update tonight, I have a paper to finish first, plus the normal Easter stuff. Happy Easter, by the way. There's some violence in this chapter, mentions of torture, screaming, nothing too graphic or bloody. Hope you enjoy.**

**We're going to pretend I've typed out the disclaimer.**

Nathalia walked back up stairs and into Kiri's room, heading for the stairs onto the roof. She stopped when she saw Dark on Kiri's bed, holding the open notebook and looking at her. Nathalia walked over and sat down next to Dark, looking over his shoulder at the picture he was looking at. On the page was the drawing of him, and in the corner was a small star, along with some letters.

"Why is there a drawing of me in here?" he asked, sounding confused.

"I had Kiri draw that so she would recognize you if she saw you. I told you we came here looking for you," Nathalia explained, reaching to take the notebook out of Dark's hands. He let her, and she returned the notebook to its place in the drawer. She stood up, getting ready to leave. She squeezed Dark's shoulder once, letting him know she was there for him, then she went up onto the roof and flew away. She did a couple of laps over the city, then turned and began flying out over the ocean. Suddenly she felt a searing pain in her shoulder, and turned to see Krad flying behind her. He attacked her again and hit her wing, and she was sent crashing down into someone's back yard, blacking out as soon as she landed.

She awoke to find someone wiping her shoulder with a wet cloth. She groaned and sat up, then glanced over to see Risa cleaning off the wound left by Krad.

"Thank you," Nathalia said, then spread the injured wing, which was on the opposite side of where Risa was, and began examining the wound there.

"I'm not doing this for you," Risa told her, anger dripping from her every word.

"Well, I'm sure whomever you're doing this for will thank you as well," Nathalia responded, turning and smiling at Risa. Risa glared at her, then began to wrap Nathalia's shoulder with a cloth, not even trying to be gentle about it. Nathalia winced, but said nothing. Instead, she went back to examining her wing. She was about to start patching up that wound when a shout of pain could be heard from the sky above the ocean.

"I thank you, Risa-san, whether you accept it or not. But now I must take my leave," Nathalia told Risa, standing and bowing. She turned, spread her wings, and took off, though it was plain that every beat of her wing caused her pain. She found Krad and Dark over the ocean, fighting, and she flew straight up, then went over and dropped down so she ended up directly in between the two.

"Nathalia? How are you flying?" Krad demanded, gesturing at the gash on her wing that was still bleeding freely.

"I'm not a wimp like you, Krad," answered Nathalia, shrugging. She spread her wings out fully and began beating them, sending a strong wind towards Krad. She stopped as Krad was knocked back a few metres, then was surprised when Dark flew in front of her.

"Let me protect you!" he shouted, spreading his wings in front of Nathalia. Krad recovered and began blasting him with magic. Dark was sent flying backwards, and Krad didn't give an inch until Dark was falling towards the ocean. Nathalia went to catch him, but was grabbed from behind by Krad, who knocked her out quickly.

Daisuke dragged himself and Wiz out of the ocean, shaking his head to get rid of some of the water. He made his way back to Kiri's house, which was almost half-an-hour away. When he opened the door, Kyoko looked up in surprise.

"When did you leave?" she asked in surprise.

"Dark followed Nathalia. Is Nathalia back?" responded Daisuke, shrugging.

"No. Should she be?" Kyoko questioned, suddenly looking worried. Daisuke shrugged.

"I'm not really sure. Dark is unconscious, so he can't tell me anything. We were fighting Krad, and she seemed able to defeat him, so it's possible she's just resting somewhere," he told her, sounding apologetic. Kyoko nodded.

"Why don't you head home and get some sleep. I'll let you know if she shows up," Kyoko suggested. Daisuke nodded and turned to leave.

Nathalia was in a room with no lights and no windows. Kiri was gone. That was the first thing Nathalia noticed as she woke up. She couldn't feel Kiri anymore, she was alone in that body. She was worried, but she knew Kiri could take care of herself. Right now, Nathalia had to focus on getting out of this room. A door opened, and Nathalia blinked in the sudden light. Krad walked in and stood in front of her.

"It seems my servant has been a very naughty girl. I think it's time she was punished," he said, a threatening look in his eyes. Nathalia dropped her head, knowing what was coming.

It had been almost a month, and still Kiri and Nathalia had not returned. Everyone had been out looking relentlessly, and at first they refused to admit what all of them knew. Krad had them. There was no other explanation. Dark paced back and forth in the main room of Kiri's house, looking angry. Emiko and Kyoko were sitting on the couch, Kyoko crying softly into Emiko's shoulder. Sitting on the stools at the counter were Kosuke and Daiki.

"I want to go look," Dark stated for what must've been the hundredth time that day.

"We know, Dark, but we have no idea where Krad would've taken her. Towa's searching for her now, as soon as she comes down and tells us, you can go," Kosuke replied reasonably. Dark sighed, then nodded slowly, showing that he saw the logic in what Kosuke was saying. Five minutes passed before Towa came skipping downstairs.

"Nathalia's in a room where there's no light. It's in the basement of an abandoned mansion outside of town. Kiri is….in the same mansion, but in a different room," she told them. As soon as she was done talking, Dark was out the front door, flying away. He flew over the city, looking for an abandoned mansion. He finally found it and landed outside.

Kiri winced as another scream echoed through the hallways. She knew Nathalia was not the one screaming, this person was a man. Krad seemed to have three prisoners in this basement, and he spent an hour with each one, three hours in all. Kiri wasn't sure how he got away with doing this. She knew his host must be fighting, but she also knew that Krad had probably broken the host down enough to be able to force himself out. She had no idea what time it was when he came, and she didn't know when he left. The screaming she was hearing now meant that within an hour, Krad would be coming to take her back to Nathalia. He liked having Kiri in the room when he punished Nathalia, he liked forcing her to watch. Nathalia always tried to act strong, smiling at Kiri when she was led in, but Kiri knew she must be in pain. She shut her ears to the screams, huddled in a corner as she waited for Krad to come.

Dark could hear screaming as he entered the mansion. He tried to ignore it, but there was no escaping the pain in those screams.

"_Dark, is that…"_ Daisuke began, stopping as another scream sounded through the hallways, coming up through the floorboards. This time, a second scream joined the first. Dark could hear words in this scream. He could hear someone screaming "stop" again and again. The screams slowly died out, and now Dark began to run, somehow finding the stairs into the basement quickly.


	7. Chapter 7

**I didn't update last night, because by the time I had finished my paper it was midnight and I had to drive four and a half hours today so I needed to sleep. I'll update twice today though. I'll add another chapter after dinner tonight. Anyway, slight violence and stuff, but nothing too bad. Kiri gets even more fun to write during this chapter and later, you'll see why. Hope you enjoy :)**

**Disclaimer (we'll pretend that's sufficient)**

Kiri was hunched over sobbing as Krad punished Nathalia again and again. Her screaming had done nothing but make Krad hurt Nathalia more. She knew that the hour was almost over, and she looked forward to the time when Krad would throw her back into her cell, where she could close her eyes and pretend that none of this was real. She heard Nathalia scream again, then heard a new sound. She heard the sound of the door opening. She looked up, wondering why Krad had opened the door without grabbing her first, and saw Krad still standing by Nathalia, looking at the door in surprise. Dark walked in, his eyes filled with an anger that Kiri had rarely seen in anyone's eyes.

She saw Nathalia glance up, and could see the relief there, mixed with fear. Dark sent Krad flying into a wall, his anger adding strength to his attacks. Dark walked forward and released Nathalia's arms from the chains that had been holding them up. Nathalia fell into Dark's chest, and Dark wrapped his arms around her. Dark turned to Kiri, holding out a hand and gesturing her over. Kiri stood on shaky legs, then ran over and pressed herself against Dark. He wrapped an arm around her, then took out a feather and shot his magic straight up at the ceiling, flying out through the hole he had created. He carried Kiri and Nathalia to a nearby cave and placed them both down gently.

Nathalia woke up slowly, wondering where she was. For the last month, pain had been with her every second of every day. But now, as she awoke, she was aware of a new feeling. There was someone warm next to her. Nathalia turned her head slightly to the right, seeing Kiri sleeping next to her. Kiri's eyes fluttered, and she woke up as well. Nathalia smiled, glad her friend was okay. She suddenly heard wing beats, followed by hurried footsteps. The footsteps stopped, and Dark squatted down next to her.

"You're awake," he stated, smiling.

"Yep," Nathalia whispered, her voice cracking. Dark bent down and kissed Nathalia's forehead, then turned to Kiri, who had sat up and slid over to sit closer to the fire.

"You probably should lie back down," he told her. Kiri turned, looking slightly taken aback. She shook her head, turning back to the fire. Dark sighed, then turned back to Nathalia.

"I'm going to let Daisuke take over," he whispered. Nathalia nodded, closing her eyes and appearing to fall back to sleep.

Kiri jumped when Daisuke put a hand on her shoulder. He sat down next to her, then smiled at her.

"Are you okay?" he asked gently. Kiri nodded, although tears were forming in her eyes. Daisuke wrapped an arm around her and Kiri began sobbing into Daisuke's shoulder. Eventually, Kiri fell asleep, and Daisuke placed her next to Nathalia, then picked up a blanket and placed it over Kiri and Nathalia, gazing down at them sadly.

"_I've finally found a way to repay Nathalia,"_ Dark remarked, a tenderness in his voice that Daisuke had never heard before.

"Do you think we should go back and free the other people Krad was holding prisoner?" Daisuke asked.

"_Let's wait until these two are better. I don't want to leave them alone for that long, and I don't want Kyoko seeing them like this,"_ responded Dark. Daisuke nodded, then turned away and pulled out a sketchbook.

"_That's why you wanted to go back to your house? You wanted your sketchbook?" _Dark demanded, a sarcastic tone in his voice.

"Relax, I have a reason for wanting this," Daisuke retorted, opening up to a blank page. He began drawing something, looking as though he wanted to get it perfect. Over the next few days, Nathalia and Kiri woke up for short periods, always waking up and falling asleep almost simultaneously. Finally, after almost two weeks, Nathalia was able to stand and walk, although not for as long as she wanted to be able to, but it was a start. Kiri rarely walked around, and she hadn't said a word to anyone. She spent most of her time staring into the fire, sleeping, or crying. Daisuke and Dark switched off every hour or so, although occasionally one would stay in control longer.

It was almost a month before Nathalia decided it was time for them to return to Kiri's house, although Dark didn't want Nathalia to walk that far. Nathalia stood, ready to go. Dark walked over to Kiri, who was staring silently into the fire. He put a hand on her shoulder, and she looked up at him.

"We're going home, Kiri," he told her gently. Kiri said nothing, she simply stood and followed behind Dark and Nathalia silently, her head down. Dark had Kiri and Nathalia wait outside as he went in to talk to everyone he was sure was there. He came back out five minutes later and motioned for the two girls to follow him inside. Nathalia went first, leaning on Dark slightly as she began to tire. Kiri followed, still silent. As soon as they were inside, Kyoko hugged her tightly, crying with happiness. Kiri hugged her mom, tears flowing down her cheeks as well. Kiri allowed her mother to steer her to the couch, where she sat in silence, watching her mother get her juice and wrap her with a blanket and sit next to her. Kyoko seemed to realize that Kiri wasn't talking, and she turned to Dark, a question in her eyes.

"Kiri hasn't said a word since we found her," Dark told her, sounding apologetic. Kyoko turned to her daughter, concern in her eyes.

"It'll take her some time to recover from what happened," Nathalia remarked.

"What did he do to her?" Kyoko demanded, pulling her daughter close, as though to protect her from what had happened. Nathalia looked down.

"Krad made her watch," Dark finally said. He wrapped an arm around Nathalia. Kyoko looked confused for a few seconds, then seemed to realize what Dark meant.

"Nathalia, I'm glad you're safe," she told Nathalia, smiling. Nathalia smiled back tiredly.

"Kyoko, is it okay if I take her upstairs?" Dark asked, supporting Nathalia almost completely now. Kyoko nodded, and Dark helped Nathalia up the stairs. Kiri kissed her mom on the cheek, smiled at the other adults in the room, then followed Dark and Nathalia upstairs. Once the three were in Kiri's room, Dark placed Nathalia carefully in Kiri's bed and pulled a blanket over her. There were ten minutes of silence as Dark and Kiri watched Nathalia sleep, then Kiri turned to Dark. She pulled his arm and led him into the bathroom, indicating the shower. Dark chuckled.

"Are you telling me I smell bad?" he asked jokingly. Kiri glared at him. She gestured for him to wait for a minute, then left the room, returning with a black shirt and black pants. She put them down on the counter. She smiled at Dark, gestured for him to shower, then left, going back to her room. Dark showered and put on the clean clothes Kiri had left for him. He knocked lightly on Kiri's door, and Kiri opened it. She sniffed loudly, then grinned, nodding,

"Very funny, Kiri. You should go shower now," Dark commented, laughing. Kiri smiled at him and pointed to a pile of her own clothes, showing that she had been planning on showering next. She picked up her clothes, a blue t-shirt with jeans, and skipped into the bathroom. Dark watched her go, then sat on the bed, gazing down at Nathalia. He brushed some hair out of her face gently.

Kiri showered and got dressed, then brushed her hair back. She went back into her room to find Dark and Nathalia asleep side-by-side on the bed. She smiled, then went through her door to the roof, drawing her knees up to her chest and gazing up at the stars. She fell asleep on the roof, not wanting to disturb Dark and Nathalia.

She awoke with the sun the next day, sitting up and stretching. As she stood, she realized that at some point someone had put a blanket over her, and she glanced around to see Daisuke sleeping nearby. She smiled at him, then descended the stairs into her bedroom, where Nathalia was just waking up. Nathalia smiled at her.

"Is the roof more comfortable than your bed?" she asked, tousling Kiri's hair. Kiri shook her head, then pointed at Nathalia and held up two fingers.

"There were two of me last night?" Nathalia asked, trying to figure out what Kiri was telling her.

"Dark fell asleep on the bed with you last night. Kiri didn't want to disturb you two," Daisuke told Nathalia as he walked in from the roof. Kiri nodded emphatically. Nathalia laughed as she draped an arm on Kiri's shoulders. The three friends went downstairs, where Kyoko was already making breakfast. Emiko helped her, and Kosuke and Daiki sat at the counter. Daisuke and Kiri sat down on the couch while Nathalia sat on the floor next to them. The news was on, reporting about how long it had been since Dark had been active. Kiri sighed, then turned to Daisuke with an accusing look in her eyes.

"What? We've been a little busy," Daisuke told her defensively. Kiri shook her head, showing that he had interpreted her look wrong.

"She wants to know where you've been going all the time, if you haven't been stealing things," Nathalia said, and Kiri nodded.

"Dark and I were coming here, so we could let your mom know how you were doing. Also, I had to keep getting supplies from my house for a project I'm working on," Daisuke explained, shrugging. Kiri cocked her head, then looked at her mother questioningly.

"It's the truth. He was here almost every night, checking in and letting us know how you guys were doing," Kyoko confirmed, nodding. Kiri glared at Daisuke.

"We didn't tell you because we didn't want you to worry about anything else except getting better," he informed her. Kiri looked thoughtful for a moment, then smiled.

"Kiri, Daisuke, how are you two going to feel about going back to school next week?" questioned Kyoko as she handed them plates. Kiri looked nervous, and Daisuke searched her face before answering.

"I think Kiri's worried about what the other kids will think, since she's not talking," he said. Kiri nodded, and Kyoko smiled at her gently.

"It'll be fine," she assured her daughter.

"Kiri, none of them really expect you to talk anyway. You've always been pretty quiet at school," Daisuke pointed out. Kiri nodded, looking down. Daisuke wrapped an arm around her shoulders and grinned.

"Kyoko-san, if we don't find a way for Kiri and I to become one again, can I pretend to be fourteen and go to school with these two?" Nathalia inquired.

"Nathalia, you couldn't look fourteen if you tried," Kyoko responded skeptically. Kiri nodded emphatically, pushed Nathalia lightly. The woman sighed, looking at the three faces in front of her. Daisuke's family let him stay at Kiri's house for the next week. Kiri's room was suddenly very crowded, with Nathalia and Daisuke sharing it with Kiri. Usually, Dark and Nathalia would share the bed, and Kiri slept on the floor. Their first day going back to school arrived, and Daisuke went home the night before so he could get his uniform, and returned to Kiri's house to spend the night. He and Kiri stayed up late, sitting on the roof and gazing at the stars, while Nathalia slept.

"Our families are talking about moving in together, since we all spend so much time together anyway," Daisuke remarked. Kiri nodded. She turned to Daisuke questioningly.

"I don't know how I feel about it…it would be fun, but then you and I, we'd be like siblings," Daisuke told her. Kiri shook her head emphatically, then pointed to her chest, then to Daisuke's chest. Daisuke looked at her eyes, not sure if he was understanding what she was trying to say. Kiri repeated the gesture, then laced her hands together tightly. Daisuke smiled gently at her, then pulled Kiri into a tight hug. He could feel Kiri tense slightly, as though she wasn't sure what he was about to do.

"I love you," he whispered into her ear. Kiri relaxed into him, nodding.


	8. Chapter 8

**Told you I'd update again. There's really absolutely nothing for me to say about this one...hope you enjoy**

**Disclaimer**

They sat like that for most of the night, then suddenly Daisuke pulled away.

"I can't feel Dark," he said, looking concerned. Kiri cocked her head, then stood, taking Daisuke's hand and leading him down to her room, holding a finger to her mouth, telling Daisuke to be quiet. She silently slid the door open, then stood aside so Daisuke could look into the room, where Dark and Nathalia were asleep on the bed. Kiri led the way back up to the roof, then turned to Daisuke. She pointed to her eyes, then to the stairs, then to herself, then to Daisuke.

"You saw him go downstairs while we were hugging," Daisuke translated. Kiri nodded, grinning. She walked lightly over to Daisuke and tapped his temple, then pointed to his heart.

"You're telling me to remember that I would lose Dark when I loved someone and they loved me back," Daisuke guessed. Kiri nodded, then pointed to herself, then pointed at Daisuke. Daisuke grinned and hugged Kiri. The two slept on the roof, and woke up when the sun began to light up the sky. Kiri went down into her room and collected her uniform from her closet, then went into the bathroom to change. As soon as she was out, Daisuke put on his uniform, and the two went downstairs to eat breakfast. They were early, and Kyoko looked up in surprise as they entered the main room.

"You guys are up early," she remarked. Kiri nodded, then skipped over to her mother, looking like she was about to burst with excitement. She pointed to Daisuke, then to herself, grinning. Kyoko looked confused, so Kiri pulled Daisuke over and pointed to his heart, then to her heart, urging her mother to understand. Kyoko still didn't seem able to figure out what Kiri was telling her, so Kiri ran back upstairs and burst into her room, pulling the sheet off the bed and motioning for Dark to follow her. Ignoring the bewildered faces she was getting, Kiri grabbed Dark's arm and dragged him downstairs, Nathalia following curiously. Kiri steered Dark until he was standing in front of Kyoko. Kiri pointed to Dark, then to Daisuke.

"You dragged me out of bed for this?" Dark demanded, though there was an amused tone in his voice. Kiri grinned, nodding. There was a knock at the front door, and Kiri ran out of the room, opening the door to find Emiko standing outside. Kiri smiled at her and stood aside to let her in. Kiri was making her way back down the hallway when she heard a screech of delight.

"Daisuke, Dark, you're separated! How did that happen?" Emiko was asking as Kiri entered the room. Daisuke glanced at Kiri, who nodded emphatically.

"Well, Kiri and I…" he started, blushing.

"Kiri and Daisuke admitted that they love each other last night," Dark told the room, getting bored with how slowly the conversation was going.

"That's what you were trying to tell me this morning?" Kyoko asked Kiri. Kiri nodded, grinning.

"But why didn't you disappear, Dark?" Emiko questioned, still confused.

"We don't know," Nathalia told her, shrugging. Kiri glanced at the clock, then grabbed Daisuke's arm and pointed to the door. Daisuke nodded, then turned to everyone else.

"We'll see you guys after school," he told the room, smiling. Kiri nodded, grinning. The two teenagers grabbed their school bags and left. When they arrived at school, they were instantly the center of attention. Everyone wanted to know where they had been for two months. Daisuke did all the talking, telling everyone the story that Emiko and Kyoko had come up with the night before. As far as anyone knew, the two had been extremely sick, and had needed extra time off to fully recover. No one questioned why Kiri wasn't speaking, it seemed as though most kids assumed it had something to do with their sickness. As they were leaving the school, Riku ambushed them.

"Kiri-san, may I please talk to Daisuke alone?" she asked. Kiri glanced at Daisuke questioningly.

"Go ahead, Kiri. I'll catch up," Daisuke told her, waving her ahead. Kiri nodded, then skipped away. Daisuke turned to Riku.

"Why didn't anyone tell me about this sickness? And why have you been hanging around Kiri-san so much?" she demanded, her eyes flashing with anger.

"Riku….I'm sorry but…." Daisuke began slowly, not sure how to word what he had to say.

"But what? What aren't you telling me, Daisuke?" Riku's voice rose as she became more and more angry.

"I have to break up with you," Daisuke said bluntly, not knowing how else to say it. Riku glared at him, tears forming in her eyes. She turned and stormed away. Daisuke sighed, then turned and ran to catch up with Kiri. He caught up with her about five minutes from her house. The two teens walked home in silence, then opened the front door. Something small and fuzzy leapt into Kiri's arms, and she looked down to see Wiz nuzzling her. She held the small creature in front of her and grinned.

"I guess he didn't like us being away all day," Daisuke remarked, laughing. Kiri nodded, then let Wiz climb onto her shoulder, where he rode happily. Kiri dumped her bag and sat down next to Nathalia, who had been lounging on the couch.

"Hey Kiri. How was your first day back at school?" Nathalia asked, smiling at Kiri. Kiri shrugged, then indicated her bag and mimed writing.

"We have a lot of work to make up," Daisuke told Nathalia, sitting down next to Kiri. Kiri nodded.

"Well, you've been gone for two months, what did you expect?" Kyoko asked, sitting at the counter. Kiri sighed, hanging her head.

"You guys should probably get to work on that," Nathalia suggested. Daisuke nodded, and he picked up both of their bags and began heading upstairs. Kiri followed, looking dejected. While they were working on math together, Dark walked in from the roof.

"Hey you two," he greeted. Daisuke and Kiri both jumped, turning to look at Dark.

"Hi Dark," Daisuke greeted. Kiri grinned at him, then something seemed to occur to her. She hopped up and went into her closet, reaching up to reach something on the top shelf. She jumped up, and almost had it, but ended up falling on her tailbone. Dark walked over, raising an eyebrow. Kiri stood and pointed at what she wanted him to get for her. Dark pulled down a long, black box. Kiri took the box from him and carried it over to her bed, where she opened it and pulled out a rolled up piece of paper, which she handed to Dark, indicating that she wanted him to have it. Dark unrolled the paper to reveal a drawing of him, perfect in every detail. In the bottom right-hand corner, where Kiri had signed it, she had written a small message. "Thank you Dark". Dark chuckled, then looked at Kiri.

"When did you make this?" he asked her. Kiri looked at Daisuke and motioned for him to explain.

"She started working on it while we were in the cave. Every time you and I left, she worked on it," he told Dark.

"How do you know about this if I don't?" Dark demanded.

"Remember when I made you sleep? I stayed awake and that's when Kiri, with Nathalia's help, explained what she wanted. After that, I got supplies for her and told you it was for something I was working on," Daisuke explained. He and Kiri grinned. There was a knock on the door and Nathalia walked in, taking in the scene in front of her.

"You finally finished it, Kiri?" she asked Kiri. Kiri nodded, looking proud of herself. Dark walked over to Kiri and tousled her hair, which Kiri knew was his way of saying "thanks". She grinned up at him. He turned to Nathalia.

"Did you need something?" he asked her.

"Emiko and Kyoko want to talk to us," answered Nathalia, nodding. The group all went downstairs, where Emiko and Kyoko where waiting.

"You wanted to talk to us," Dark said, sitting down at the counter.

"We have three options for you guys. One: I move out, and you four get this house to yourselves. Two: Both families pool together, we buy a bigger house, and all live together. Three: We keep things the same as they have been," Kyoko told them. Dark, Nathalia, Daisuke, and Kiri all looked at each other.

"Can we talk it over?" Daisuke asked. Emiko nodded.

"Take as long as you guys need," she said. All four left the room and went up to Kiri's room.

"What do you guys think?" Nathalia asked, leaning against the bed.

"I like the first option," Daisuke informed them. Kiri looked concerned and shook her head.

"Kyoko would be moving in with Daisuke's family, Kiri. She'd be fine," Nathalia assured her, smiling. Kiri looked thoughtful, then shook her head again.

"What's the matter?" Daisuke inquired. Kiri stood and walked over to the window, then waved a hand into the sky.

"We would asked Emiko or Kyoko to come over whenever we went out," Dark said. Kiri turned and looked at him, and he smiled. Kiri smiled back, then slowly nodded.

"So we all agree on option one?" Nathalia summed up, looking around. Everyone nodded, and they all headed back downstairs.

"We've agreed on option one," Daisuke told Emiko and Kyoko.

"Great. We can move everything on Saturday. For now, you two have homework to finish," Kyoko said, giving Kiri and Daisuke a look. The two teenagers nodded and went back upstairs. They finished their homework and went to bed. The rest of that week passed uneventfully, and on Saturday, Kyoko and Daisuke essentially switched rooms. The moving took about three hours, and afterwards everyone relaxed in their respective houses. Kiri sighed as she leaned against Daisuke's shoulder, watching the news quietly. Dark had started working again, although he wasn't letting Nathalia do anything until he was sure she was completely healed. The reporter was talking about the latest stolen item, which currently sat on the counter across the room from Kiri and Daisuke. Someone knocked on the door, and Nathalia stood up from where she had been sitting at the counter to answer the door. Shouting could be heard from the hallway, and Dark, Daisuke, and Kiri all turned to look as Nathalia led an angry looking man into the room.

"Where is Kyoko?" he demanded, glaring at Nathalia. Kiri attempted to hide herself behind Daisuke, which only served to draw the man's attention.

"You must be Kiri. I've been looking for you, you know," the man told her, an ugly look in his eyes. Daisuke stood and placed himself between the man and Kiri.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

"Who am I? You're in Kyoko's house, with _my_ daughter, and you don't know who I am?" the man demanded, sounding even more angry than before. Daisuke turned to Kiri.

"He's your father?" he asked incredulously. Kiri nodded, pointing at a picture of a man holding a woman and looking happy. The amount of difference that the expression made was amazing.

"Kiri, tell me where your mother is!" her father demanded, taking a step towards her. Kiri shook her head, taking a step forward to stand next to Daisuke.

"None of us are going to tell you," Dark remarked, his eyes hard. The man spun on Nathalia, slapping her hard.

"This is all your fault," he yelled, anger turning him red. Dark stood, clearly wanting to attack the man, but he never had the chance. Kiri launched herself at her father, forcing him back several feet.

"Hideyo, stop it!" Nathalia shouted as the man kicked Kiri away. Kiri rolled away, coming to a stop at Nathalia's feet, where she stayed, whimpering slightly. The man took one last, angry look around.

"I'll be back," he warned before storming out the front door. Nathalia dropped to her knees beside Kiri, looking drained.

"That's Kiri's father?" Daisuke asked, sounding breathless.

"Yeah. He seemed great, at first. Kyoko loved him. She got pregnant before they got married, and that was when she told him about me. He attacked her, left her unconscious in her house, and disappeared. Kiri's never met him," Nathalia told him. She reached out and pulled Kiri to her, holding the girl close until she seemed to calm down. There were a few moments of silence. Kiri went and curled up on the couch, looking as though she was trying to melt into the couch. Daisuke sat down next to her, then pulled a blanket up over her. Eventually, Kiri fell asleep, her soft snores the only thing that broke the silence that had descended on the house. No one seemed to know what to say. Finally, Nathalia stood.

"I have to go warn Kyoko," she said, turning to leave out the front door. Dark stood and walked over to her, barring her path.

"I don't want you leaving the house. I'll go tell Kyoko what happened. You stay here," he told her, pushing her back lightly. Nathalia didn't resist, she turned and went into the kitchen, starting to prepare dinner. Dark returned twenty minutes later, and he sat down at the counter.

"So?" Nathalia asked, raising her eyebrows at him.

"Emiko, Kosuke, and Daiki promised to keep an eye out, and to make sure that Kyoko never leaves the house alone," Dark told her, sighing. Nathalia smiled, leaning forward to peck Dark on the cheek.

"Thanks Dark," she said, smiling. Dark simply grunted, then turned to look at Daisuke and Kiri, who were both asleep on the couch, Daisuke's arms wrapped around Kiri. Nathalia kept cooking, and soon dinner was ready. Dark stood and walked over to the couch.

"Time for dinner," he said, tilting the couch slightly, dumping the two kids onto the floor in a pile. Kiri was the first to untangle herself, and she glared at Dark angrily. Dark grinned, and Kiri threw a pillow at him before going to the table. Daisuke was right behind her, yawning. After dinner, the four of them stayed up for a while talking, then all went to bed. Daisuke was now sleeping in Emiko's old room, and Dark and Nathalia had long ago taken over the guest room.


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry it's been a couple of days since I last updated, I've been having trouble with both my school's housing policy and with one of my professors. Harsh week for** **me...**

**I own nothing.**

Dark was getting changed when something fell from the shelf of the closet. Dark bent and picked up an old photograph of two little girls laughing. One of the girls had coal black hair held in pigtails and was wearing a puffy pink dress. The other girl had a brown braid down her back, and her green eyes shone with happiness.

"Nathalia, I'll be right back," he called, heading into the hallway. Nathalia grunted from her closet, and Dark headed towards Kiri's room. As he approached her door, he could hear sobbing from within. He paused, his hand just inches from the door, and leaned his head against the door, listening sadly. He blamed himself for what had happened. He wouldn't tell anyone that, but it was the truth. He finally opened the door, and walked in to find Kiri curled up under her sheets, facing the wall.

"Kiri, I found a picture and I thought you might want it," he said, sitting down on the bed next to her and resting a hand on her shoulder. Kiri turned and looked at him, and he could tell that she'd been crying for quite some time. She looked at him expectantly, and he handed her the photograph he had found. Kiri stared at the girls for a few seconds, then looked up at Dark, her eyes shining. Kiri hugged Dark, then began to cry again. Dark looked at her awkwardly, then wrapped his arms around her as she cried herself to sleep. Once her breathing had evened out and the crying stopped, Dark lowered her back into bed and pulled the blanket over her, smiling gently. He turned to see Nathalia standing in the doorway, smiling.

"She appreciates what you do, Dark," she told him, wrapping an arm around his waist.

"I know," he responded, closing the door silently. Nathalia and Dark went to sleep.

The next day, Kiri skipped downstairs at around eleven, which was much later than usual. She grinned at the room, her hands behind her back.

"What are you hiding?" Nathalia asked, narrowing her eyes. Kiri's eyes shined as she revealed a drawing she must have done that morning, in which the four of them were all on the couch smiling. Nathalia took the drawing to look at it more closely.

"You've gotten better," she commented, smiling at Kiri. Kiri smiled at the praise, then turned and sat down on the couch, watching the news, which was reporting a warning letter from Dark, promising to steal something that night. Kiri turned to Dark questioningly.

"I have to bring this one to Emiko and Daiki. I promised them I'd bring them every other thing I stole. Don't worry, though, I'm saving all the good stuff for us," Dark told her, winking, Kiri smiled, then turned to Daisuke, who had been silent for most of the morning. She cocked her head.

"I'm fine, Kiri. I was just thinking about something," he told her, smiling. Kiri pushed him lightly, her eyes telling him that she was not convinced. Daisuke laughed, and Kiri smiled. She rested her head on his shoulder, watching Nathalia and Dark as they made lunch. She sighed, at least somewhat content with her life. The next month passed uneventfully, and gradually, they all began to recover. Nathalia and Dark began working together, forming a duo the media had dubbed "Darts", as they usually signed their notes "Dark and Nats". Daisuke and Kiri caught up on their schoolwork, and life returned to normal, except that Kiri had still not made a sound since she'd been rescued. Two months passed, and Kiri's birthday began to approach. One day, Daisuke managed to talk to Nathalia and Dark while Kiri slept upstairs.

"Kiri's birthday is in two days," he stated.

"We know," Nathalia responded, not sure where Daisuke was going.

"We should do something for her. Like…bake a cake or have a party or something," Daisuke said.

"We agree. We've been waiting for you to mention it," Dark replied, smirking. Daisuke glared at them.

"That's not nice," he whined, looking deflated. Dark and Nathalia both chuckled.

"We've already talked to the other house, they've all agreed to make food and cake. On Kiri's birthday, they'll be waiting here for you two to get home from school. Kyoko-san said she'll make Kiri's favourite dinner, which she hasn't had since her birthday last year," Nathalia told him. Daisuke looked from one face to the other.

"You guys seem to be going all out for this," he remarked suspiciously. Nathalia and Dark glanced at each other.

"This is Kiri's first birthday since….well, it's a reason to celebrate, and Kiri needs to celebrate something. We think it'll help her heal," Nathalia said slowly, shrugging.

"We're working on a present right now, too," Dark added. Daisuke looked down, somewhat shamefully.

"Now I feel foolish," he said quietly.

"Only now?" Dark asked teasingly. Daisuke looked up and smiled, then went upstairs to go to bed. The next day, Sunday, Nathalia took Kiri out into town, claiming that she wanted a day alone with her friend. While they were gone, Emiko and Kyoko cooked and baked furiously, trying to get as much done as possible. Meanwhile, Daisuke shut himself in his room, working on something, and Dark was in the basement of the Niwa house, where all the art he had stolen was kept. Kosuke and Daiki were sitting outside, prepared to shout a warning if they saw Kiri returning.

On Monday, Kiri's birthday, school passed much the same as every other day. After much signing and sighing, Kiri had managed to convey to Daisuke that she didn't want him to make a big deal of it, and he promised not to tell anyone. They walked home together, and Daisuke noticed that Kiri seemed dejected, as though something was bothering her.

"What's up?" he asked, looking at her worriedly. Kiri shrugged, then pointed to herself, drew a box in the air, then drew a tear line down her face.

"You don't like your birthday?" he asked, stopping. Kiri shook her head, drew a box, then shook her head once.

"You don't get presents," Daisuke said. Kiri nodded, then pulled out the little bit of change she kept in her bag, held it up so he could see it, then shook her head once.

"Your mother never really had enough money." Kiri nodded, then drew the box again and held up a picture of her mother and shook her head.

"And you always hated it when your mom spent money on you." Kiri nodded again, smiling sadly. Daisuke wrapped an arm around Kiri.

"Well you don't have to worry about that today. Don't forget that you have Dark, my whole family, Nathalia, and me now. We'll make sure your mom doesn't spend too much," he assured her. Kiri smiled and hugged Daisuke. Daisuke laughed and hugged her back.

Daisuke led Kiri back to her house, excited to be the one taking her to the party. He led her inside, and she stopped dead when she noticed all the decorations. Daisuke looked at her and saw the grin slowly spread across her face. Kiri turned to Daisuke, who grinned back.

"Happy birthday, Kiri," he said, hugging her. They dumped their bags and walked all the way into the main room. Kiri stopped again, her eyes widening, when she saw everyone together, half on the couch and half on the floor. She grinned, and Nathalia moved over, patting the seat next to her, where there was enough room for Kiri and Daisuke to sit. Kiri sat down and pulled Daisuke down next to her. Tears of happiness were shining in her eyes as she saw everything that had been done for her. Kyoko stood and ran into a back room, coming back carrying a pile of presents. Kiri looked up at the pile in sheer amazement. Kyoko put the pile down on the table and handed Kiri the first present. Kiri opened it carefully, trying not to rip the paper, something she had always done so her mother wouldn't have to buy more the next year.

"Kiri, there's no need to save the paper anymore," Nathalia told her, pushing her lightly. Kiri looked at Nathalia in surprise, then nodded and ripped the paper off to reveal a….white box. Kiri pulled the top off the box and found clothes, which made Kiri grin happily. She didn't get new clothes often. Kyoko giggled.

"Do you like them?" she asked. Kiri held the matching shirt and pants up and nodded emphatically. The next present was from Nathalia, and Kiri practically tackled her friend when she lifted up a silver necklace in the shape of eagle wings. Next was Dark's present, and he made a point of looking away as Kiri opened the package to find a silver bracelet with an amethyst set into it, tiny wings spreading out from the gem. Kiri smiled, and looked at Dark, noticing that he was purposefully not looking at her. Without warning, she launched herself over Nathalia and tackled him off the couch. He pushed her off him, and she grinned at him happily. Kiri sat back down next to Nathalia, trying very hard not to look at Dark. He tousled her hair and she grinned up at him.

Emiko's present came next, and she had also gotten clothes for Kiri. Kosuke gave her a sliver ring with an amethyst set into it, and the band itself was formed by two wings wrapping around to meet on the inside of her finger. From Daiki, Kiri received a silver goblet, which Kiri strongly suspected was something he had stolen during his days as Dark. After that, the pile was gone, and Kiri turned questioning eyes to Daisuke.

"Mine is fragile, I didn't want to leave it down here," Daisuke explained. He stood and ran upstairs, returning with a rectangular something that was wrapped in a sheet. He handed it to Kiri, who unwrapped it to find a painting of herself, surrounded by silver feathers. Kiri looked at the painting, and when she turned to Daisuke, there were tears in her eyes. She hugged him tightly, then pointed to her heart and moved her finger to Daisuke's heart, then laced her hands together tightly. Daisuke kissed her forehead, then pulled back as he heard something he had never expected. Kiri had giggled. It was a harsh, grating sound, but to him it was the most beautiful sound he had heard. Kiri smiled up at him, and he pulled her close. Everyone else in the room was staring at Kiri. It was the first sound that had come from her mouth in three months. Once Daisuke released her, she glanced around at the rest of the room, eyes wide.

"Kiri, y-you laughed," Nathalia said, disbelief in her voice. Kiri nodded emphatically. They all knew that there was still a long way for Kiri to go before she was fully recovered, but it was a start. Once the shock of what had happened wore off, Kyoko and Emiko moved into the kitchen to make dinner, while Kosuke and Daiki sat at the counter, leaving Dark, Nathalia, Daisuke, and Kiri alone on the couch. Kiri rested her head on Daisuke's chest, and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her lightly. Nathalia and Dark were in a similar position on the other side of the couch, and soon all four were dozing off.

"I almost hate to wake them up for dinner," Kyoko remarked, watching the four people on the couch.

"I know. They all seem so comfortable together," agreed Emiko, nodding. Half an hour later, dinner was ready. Kyoko walked over to the couch.

"Hey guys, dinners ready," she said gently. Kiri's eyes were open instantly, and she cocked her head at her mother. Kyoko pointed to the table, where there was a huge bowl of rice and strawberries, with a bowl of soup next to it. A weird combination, but for many years that was the only way Kyoko could afford to dress up Kiri's birthday meals, and so now it was Kiri's favourite. Kiri jumped up and hugged her mother, kissing her on the cheek. She turned and shook Daisuke, pointing at the table and jumping up and down excitedly. Daisuke laughed, standing and stretching. Kiri sat down at the table and waited impatiently as Dark and Nathalia slowly made their way over to the table. Daisuke sat on one side of Kiri, and Nathalia sat on the other. Kyoko served them all and began to bounce in her chair as she waited for her mother to let her eat. It was an old game they played, and Kiri knew her mother would drag on the pre-eating ritual as long as possible.

"Well, usually, I make Kiri wait for quite a while before she's allowed to eat, but with all the guests here, I think we should just get to it. But first, I want to express my hope that Kiri will continue to heal and that eventually we will be able to hear her beautiful voice again. Well, eat up!" With that, Kyoko took a bite of rice, signaling that it was time to eat. Kiri stuffed a large spoonful of rice-covered strawberry into her mouth and closed her eyes as she savored the food. After dinner, Kyoko and Emiko placed a three-tiered cake in front of Kiri. In a ring on each tier was more strawberries, and Kiri's eyes shone with delight.

"I take it Kiri likes strawberries?" Dark asked, noticing Kiri's happiness.

"Yep. For a while, all they could afford was rice and the strawberries from their backyard, so Kiri grew to love strawberries," Nathalia replied, grinning at Kiri. Emiko dimmed the lights while Kyoko began to light the candles, sixteen in all. Everyone sang, and Kiri grinned shyly.

"Make a wish, Kiri," Kyoko said. Kiri looked thoughtful for a second, then blew out her candles. Kyoko carried the cake back to the kitchen, so she could cut it and serve it more easily.

"What'd you wish for, Kiri?" Daisuke inquired curiously. Kiri shook her head once.

"You didn't wish for anything?" Nathalia demanded, surprised. Kiri shook her head emphatically.

"Why not?" Daisuke asked. Kiri gestured at the people around her, then cocked her head, looking thoughtful, as though she wasn't sure how to make them understand what she wanted to say. She gestured at everyone again, then pointed at her heart, then shrugged, seeming to give up.

"Are you having trouble, Kiri?" Emiko questioned from the kitchen. Kiri nodded, looking dejected. Emiko grabbed a notebook and pencil and handed it to Kiri. Kiri began writing something, seemed to think it sounded bad, crossed off what she had written, then tried and failed again. She threw the pad and pencil down, clearly upset that she couldn't find a way to say what she wanted to.

"Kiri, don't worry if it doesn't work quite right written, we'll understand," Nathalia assured her. Kiri shook her head, then spread her hands out wide.

"She seems to think that what she wants to tell us is important," Dark remarked. Kiri nodded, and looked down dejectedly. Tears of frustration formed in her eyes. She wrote down a short note on the notepad, then ran upstairs. The sound of her door closing could be heard, and Dark sighed.

"Dark, you're good at calming her down. Can you go talk to her?" Daisuke asked, looking at Dark pleadingly. Dark nodded and went upstairs. They could hear Kiri's door open and close again, then there was silence.


	10. Chapter 10

**Surprise, two chapters in one day. I've been reading fanfics all day, and it made me want to update mine a little more. Drama ensues in this chapter, although there is also some nice stuff. Hope you enjoy**

**Disclaimer goes here**

Kiri sat on her bed, crying, when Dark walked in. He sat down next to her and wrapped an arm around her, letting her cry onto his chest.

"Kiri, what are you trying to say?" Dark asked gently once Kiri had seemed to calm down slightly. Kiri stood and went to her desk, picking up her notebook. She wrote something down and showed it to Dark.

"I have all of you, what else do I need," he read. He glanced up at Kiri, who was nodding.

"Why can't you just say that?" he asked her. Kiri put her hand to her heart and shook her head once.

"You don't think there's enough feeling, and you don't know how to make people realize how sincere you are? I think your little display down there showed them that," commented Dark, raising an eyebrow. Kiri glared at him, then sat down on the bed next to Dark, putting her head in her hands. Dark put a hand on her shoulder.

"Look, everyone down there knows how sincere you are. And we all know how much you want to say this just right. Come on, I'll explain it to everyone," Dark offered, standing and walking towards the door. Kiri nodded and followed Dark out of her room. Before they began heading downstairs, Kiri grabbed Dark's arm, turning him around. She hugged him, burying her head into his chest.

"You're welcome," Dark replied, tousling Kiri's hair.

After Dark left, everyone downstairs sat in silence. After a few minutes, Kyoko turned to Daisuke.

"Why is it you think Dark is good at calming Kiri down?" she questioned curiously. Daisuke shrugged.

"Whenever she has these breakdowns, he's the one who's managed to calm Kiri down. She doesn't like me seeing her like that, so having me around just makes her embarrassed. We don't know why she doesn't respond well to Nathalia," he explained. It was almost thirty minutes before Dark led Kiri downstairs, and she stood behind him shyly. Dark pushed her lightly in front of him, then steered her over until she was in front of everyone.

"Kiri wants to tell everyone that she has all of us, and that she couldn't wish for anything more," Dark paused, and Kiri poked him, urging him to continue. "She wants me to tell you that she's sorry about earlier and that she didn't feel like there was enough feeling behind her words when they're written down. She also wants me to convey how sincere she is when she says that she doesn't need anything else, and that she is truly happy right now. If she could talk to say this all to you, she would, but words still do not come for her." Kiri nodded from next to Dark, then walked slowly over and smiled apologetically at Daisuke before sitting back down. Dark took his seat next to Nathalia, and the rest of the night was passed with comfortable chatting and joking. When it was time for Kyoko and the Niwas to leave, Kiri walked them to the door, then locked the door behind them. She turned and went back into the main room.

"Was this birthday happier than your other ones?" Daisuke asked Kiri from the couch. Kiri sat down next to him and nodded. She watched while Nathalia and Dark began to clean up, then hopped up, walked over to them and grabbed their arms, pulling them back to the couch. She pointed at all the things that needed to be cleaned up and shook her head once, then pointed at the couch and nodded, miming talking. Dark and Nathalia both laughed, sitting down on one side of the couch while Kiri sat down on the other side next to Daisuke. Daisuke, Dark, and Nathalia talked, while Kiri dozed off in Daisuke's arms, the sounds of her friend's voices comforting her.

Eventually even Daisuke began to fall asleep, and Dark stopped talking. Nathalia stood and picked up Kiri, who stirred slightly, but kept sleeping. She carried the fifteen-year-old girl into her room and placed her in the bed, pulling a blanket over her gently.

Kiri woke up to her alarm the next day, letting out a silent moan. She put on her uniform, then went downstairs to see Nathalia and Dark fast asleep on the couch, and Daisuke at the counter. Daisuke smiled at her in greeting, and Kiri silently sat next to him, turning to smile at her friends on the couch.

"They look peaceful," Daisuke whispered. Kiri nodded, then turned and looked at the clock, a look of dismay on her face. She stood and picked up her bag, Daisuke following more slowly. The next few weeks passed uneventfully. Kiri laughed more and more, and every time it sounded clearer, the harshness disappearing until her laugh sounded almost normal.

A month after Kiri's birthday, Kiri sat alone in her room staring at the painting Daisuke had given her. She mouthed the words 'thank you' again and again, willing her voice to come back. She threw her notebook at the wall in frustration, hating that she couldn't even make her body do this little thing. She knew no one had heard the crash. Dark and Nathalia were both out, and Daisuke was in the basement, working on something, although he wouldn't tell Kiri what. Kiri liked working on things in her room, so she would know as soon as Dark and Nathalia were back, since they still had to go through her room to get inside. She heard them now, talking as they landed on the roof. She listened to their footsteps coming down the stairs, she heard the door open. She heard Nathalia leave, but she could tell the Dark was still in the room, looking around at the various things Kiri had thrown at the wall that night.

"Trying to talk again?" he guessed. Kiri nodded, tears forming in her eyes. Dark was the only one who knew she was trying, he had caught her at it one night when she had thought herself alone. Dark sat down next to her.

"I told you it'll take time. You can't force things like this," he told her. Kiri nodded, then turned away from Dark. She hung her head.

"Keep working at it if you want, but don't rush it. And don't get angry when your voice doesn't come back right away," he said. Kiri turned and hugged Dark, then stood and walked over to where Daisuke's painting was hung, right where the moon hit it fully at this time of night. She turned around and motioned to the painting, mimed talking, and pulled out a picture of Daisuke.

"I know you want to say thank you, and you'll be able to eventually," Dark assured her. Kiri sat down next to him again and looked at him. She gestured to her heart, then mimed talking, then pointed at Dark, smiling.

"I like talking with you too, Kiri," Dark replied, tousling Kiri's hair. Kiri giggled, ducking her head. Dark stood and walked towards the door.

"Good night Kiri," he called as he left the room, closing the door behind him. Kiri stayed up for most of that night, working on trying to talk. The next day, she stumbled downstairs, looking exhausted. She glanced around, then found Daisuke on the couch. She sat down next to him, taking his hand. Daisuke looked at her curiously.

"T-thank…..you," Kiri croaked, her voice gravelly. Daisuke smiled at her.

"You're talking," he said, grinning. Kiri nodded, grinning as well. They hugged, then pulled apart when Dark and Nathalia walked downstairs.

"Good morning, you two," Nathalia greeted as she and Dark walked into the kitchen to make breakfast.

"Guys, come see what Kiri can do," Daisuke called, waving the two adults over. Dark and Nathalia looked at Kiri curiously, walking over. Kiri looked up at them, her expression nervous. She took a deep breath.

"Thank…..you," she said, her voice a little bit stronger. Nathalia grinned and hugged Kiri. Dark stood back, smiling. Once Nathalia had stepped back, Dark walked over and tousled Kiri's hair.

"I told you it just needed time," he whispered, smiling at her. Kiri grinned back.

"Well, I think we need to celebrate today. You two don't have school today, so how about we go to the carnival," Nathalia suggested. Kiri glanced at Daisuke, then nodded, grinning. Nathalia grinned back. After breakfast, the four left their house and began heading to the carnival. Once there, the four all went on several rides. Around lunchtime, Dark and Nathalia disappeared, and Daisuke and Kiri went in to see a movie. When they left the movie theatre, Nathalia and Dark were waiting outside, Nathalia holding a large shopping bag.

"We got you something, Kiri," Nathalia told her, holding up the bag. Kiri took the bag and opened it, pulling out a large stuffed animal. Kiri looked at it, then gestured to Nathalia, spread her arms wide, gestured to Dark, and brought her hands close enough to be almost touching.

"Okay, you're right, I picked it out," Nathalia admitted, looking sheepish. Kiri walked over and tapped Nathalia on the head, then mimed talking and shook her head once.

"Nats, I don't think Kiri likes it when you lie," Daisuke remarked, walking over and standing next to Dark. Kiri nodded, pushing Nathalia lightly. Most of the rest of that day was spent just sitting, everyone enjoying having a day out of the house. As night fell and everything lit up, Kiri hopped up from the bench they'd all been sharing, then turned to face them.

"Ferris wheel," she croaked, pointing. She grabbed Daisuke's arm and pulled him pleadingly. Daisuke smiled and followed her, waving at Nathalia and Dark, who waited on the bench watching. They watched as Daisuke and Kiri got into a car, then began talking. An hour passed without them noticing, and suddenly Nathalia glanced at her watch.

"Dark…" she began slowly, grabbing onto Dark's shirt as though needing support.

"What is it?" Dark inquired, looking at Nathalia with concern in his eyes.

"Daisuke and Kiri should've been back by now," Nathalia stated, showing Dark her watch. Dark stood, taking Nathalia's hand and leading her over to the Ferris wheel.

"Excuse me," Dark said to the operator, a young woman. He smiled, turning on the charm. The operator gave him the attention he knew she would.

"Can I help you, sir?" the woman asked, blushing slightly.

"There were two young teenagers riding this ride earlier. There was a girl with short, brown hair, and a boy with spiky red hair. Do you remember them?" inquired Dark. The woman nodded.

"Yes sir, I remember them. Why?"

"Did you see them get off?" the woman shook her head, looking as though she had just realized that fact.

"Did you see which car they got into?" Nathalia demanded, tears forming in her eyes.

"That one, the red one right there. It's empty now, if you want me to let you in there next time it comes around," the woman offered, pointing to a car that was almost at the top.

"That's okay, we can get there ourselves," Dark assured her, winking. He took Nathalia's hand, then held his other hand up to Wiz's nose. Wiz had been on his shoulder all day, and now was only too happy to help his long-time companion. Wiz transformed into Dark's wings, and next to him, Nathalia spread her own wings. They flew up to the car, landing easily. They both began searching the car, knowing that there would be some sign of what had happened. Dark was searching around the seat on one side of the car, his back turned to Nathalia, when he heard her fall to her knees behind him, a half-sob escaping her lips. Dark turned and knelt down next to her, looking over her shoulder.

"Dark, Krad has them…" Nathalia told him, her voice breaking. Dark held her as Nathalia began to sob.

"We'll find them," he assured her quietly.

"I know, but Dark…..I don't know if Kiri will survive another round as Krad's prisoner," Nathalia said, burying her head in Dark's chest. Dark held Nathalia close as he spread his wings and flew them back to their house. Once he had landed, he tucked Nathalia into their bed, then left through the front door, locking it behind him, and walked down to the Niwa house. He knocked on the door, and Emiko opened it, smiling when she saw Dark.

"Emiko, I have something to talk to you guys about," he told her, his voice serious. Emiko's expression fell, as though she knew what was coming. She led the way to the main room, where Kosuke, Daiki, and Kyoko were sitting around the table, watching Dark expectantly. Dark noticed that Towa was in the kitchen, and although she had been cleaning dishes, now she was listening intently. Dark sighed, hating himself for what he had to tell the people in front of him. He noticed the fear that was in Kyoko's eyes, as well as in Emiko's eyes.

"Daisuke and Kiri have been taken by Krad," he finally said, avoiding meeting anyone's eyes. He heard the footsteps, felt Kyoko slam into him. He allowed her to yell at him, blaming him for the disappearance of her daughter. She beat his chest, until finally her screams dissolved into sobs and she was leaning against Dark as he held her.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered, his voice breaking. As soon as Kyoko stepped back, Dark fell to his knees, tears forming in his eyes. Emiko wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"It's not your fault, Dark," she whispered, compassion in her voice.

"I shouldn't have let them go off by themselves. If I'd been thinking about it, if I'd been more careful…" Dark whispered, anguish in his voice.

"Dark, you couldn't have known," Emiko knelt in front of Dark, taking his head in her hands, making him look her in the eyes. "None of us blame you, Dark. You shouldn't blame yourself. Now go, be with Nathalia. She needs you." Emiko stepped back, and Dark stood, nodding. He left, walking slowly.

Once he was back in his house, he went up to the bedroom that he and Nathalia shared, where Nathalia was curled up under the sheets, sobbing silently. Dark sat down next to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. Nathalia turned and looked at Dark with red-rimmed eyes.

"It's my fault, Dark. I never should have let them go off alone. I should have-" she began, her eyes full of regret. Dark put a finger to her lips, silencing her.

"It's no one's fault, Nathalia. We were celebrating, none of us was thinking about the dangers, and we can't be blamed for wanting to forget about our worries for a day. Get some sleep, and first thing tomorrow morning we'll go check Krad's old mansion," Dark responded, sounding like he was trying to reassure himself as well. He pulled Nathalia into a hug, allowing her to cry into his chest. Eventually, she fell asleep, and Dark moved slightly so that he was leaning against the headboard, still holding Nathalia tightly. After another half hour, he was sleeping as well.


	11. Chapter 11

**Sorry I didn't update ****yesterday ****but I got distracted by my old fics and I was reading this really good fic on here and I've been sick and yeah...so anyway, here's the next chapter. Try not to get too angry with me, I swear this all gets better soon. Anyway, enjoy.**

**Disclaimer**

Kiri leaned against Daisuke, holding the teddy bear that Nathalia had gotten for her. She wasn't sure why Krad had let her keep it, but she was glad that she had this small reminder of home. Daisuke was unconscious; Krad had knocked him out when he tried to fight back. When they had been tossed into this cell, Kiri had dragged Daisuke into a sitting position against the wall, then had cuddled up next to him, trying to draw strength from his familiar scent.

"Where are we?" Daisuke inquired, causing Kiri to jump. She hadn't noticed him wake up.

"I don't know," Kiri whispered, the low tone lessening the croak in her voice. Daisuke wrapped his arms around Kiri, and the two teens waited fearfully for Krad to return.

Dark shouted in anger, slamming the side of his fist into a wall. Nathalia looked up from the desk she was looking through, a concerned look in her eyes. Dark looked at her, and she could see the pain and anger in his eyes.

"Dark, it's really not your fault," Nathalia said, walking over to him. Dark watched as Nathalia approached him, and she put a hand on his cheek.

"Nathalia, I don't blame myself," he argued. Nathalia gave him a disbelieving look.

"You can lie to yourself, and you can probably lie to the Niwas and Kyoko. But you can't lie to me, Dark. Please don't try," responded Nathalia. Dark's eyes widened slightly, then he pulled Nathalia into a hug, and Nathalia was surprised to feel him crying into her shoulder. Nathalia spread her wings and wrapped them around her and Dark. They stayed like that for a few minutes, then Dark seemed to pass out, the emotional strain too much. Nathalia also suspected that he had not gotten as much sleep recently as he should have been. She wrapped her arms around him, spread her wings, and flew them both to the Niwa house. She carried Dark inside and placed him on the couch, kissing his forehead gently. She turned to Emiko and Kyoko, who were watching the news. Kosuke and Daiki had gone out with Towa to do the shopping in an attempt to allow the two mothers to rest.

"Hey Nats. How'd it go?" Kyoko inquired, glancing up.

"All I found was a notebook where someone practiced writing the notice Krad left," Nathalia replied, shrugging apologetically. She had also found the jewelry Kiri had received for her birthday, which she had worn that day, but she didn't think it was helpful, since they already knew Krad had the two teens.

"How is Dark?" asked Emiko, concern in her voice. Nathalia shrugged again.

"He's not sleeping well. He'll feel better when we have a definite course of action, but I don't think he likes all this searching," answered Nathalia.

"He would sleep better if people would stop talking about him," Dark remarked from the couch, his eyes still closed. Nathalia glanced at him, and noticed how flushed his cheeks were. She walked over and felt his forehead, closing her eyes as she felt the signs of a fever.

"You're sick," she said, looking at Dark with worry in her eyes.

"I feel fine," Dark assured her, still not opening his eyes.

"What did I tell you about telling me lies? You're sick, admit it," Nathalia commanded, hitting Dark in the arm.

"Ow. Fine, I'm sick. And it's not nice to hit sick people," Dark admitted, rubbing his arm.

"Oh shush. I didn't hit you _that_ hard. Now stay here, I'll be right back." Nathalia stood and turned towards the kitchen. Dark grabbed her arm, and when she turned she noticed that his eyes had lost their joking light.

"Nats, I don't want you to worry about me. Focus on finding Daisuke and Kiri," he told her. Nathalia knelt, taking Dark's hand.

"Dark, I'm going to take care of you. I'm going to help you get better. And then we're both going to go look for Daisuke and Kiri, together," she told him. With that, she stood and walked over to the kitchen, getting a wet cloth. This she placed on Dark's forehead, holding it in place for a few seconds until she was sure it would stay. Dark closed his eyes as the cloth cooled him down a bit, sighing in contentment.

"Go to sleep, Dark. Get some rest," Nathalia whispered, resting her hand on his chest. Dark took Nathalia's hand in his own, holding onto it as he dozed off. Nathalia was beginning to doze off as well, her head resting against Dark's chest, when a loud knock on the door jerked them both awake. Kyoko ran in from another room and answered the door, opening it up so Risa and Riku could walk in. Dark tried to sit up, but Nathalia held him firmly down, giving him a look. Risa stopped when she saw Dark and Nathalia together, then abruptly turned away.

"Is Emiko-san home?" Risa asked Kyoko curiously. Kyoko nodded, then turned.

"Emiko, the Harada twins are here for you!" she shouted down the stairs to the basement, causing Dark to wince slightly.

"Hey Kyoko-san, could you maybe keep the noise down a little? I'm feeling strangely hung-over, and I have a pounding head-ache," Nathalia asked, lying to make Dark's condition seem less serious. Kyoko glanced at Nathalia, then looked at Dark and seemed to understand Nathalia's intentions.

"Sorry about that, Nats. I'll be careful for the rest of the day. But please don't start drowning all your troubles in alcohol. It's not good for Kiri to see," Kyoko promised, keeping her voice down this time. Nathalia glared at her.

"I wasn't drowning anything in alcohol. I said I _feel_ hung-over, not I am hung-over. I just didn't get much sleep last night, and all the searching we've been doing is leaving me drained," she protested quietly, looking indignant.

"Hi Risa-san, Riku-san," Emiko greeted as she walked into the room, smiling.

"Hello Emiko-san. Is Daisuke around? I haven't seen him in school for almost a month, and I know he only recently recovered from an illness, so I came by to see if he's okay," Riku said. Emiko and Kyoko glanced at each other.

"Daisuke and Kiri are visiting Kiri's grandparents to the North right now. Kiri's grandpa is sick, so they went up to help her Grandmother out," Nathalia lied smoothly.

"Then why aren't you with them, Kyoko-san?" Risa questioned innocently.

"I was up there, but I came back yesterday so I could pick up some of their things. I'll be heading back up with Nathalia tomorrow," Kyoko told her, shrugging.

"We're very sorry for the inconvenience. We'll let Daisuke know that you were worried," Emiko assured her, smiling kindly.

"No. Don't do that. I'll just talk to him when he gets back," Riku protested, shaking her head.

"Okay, we'll keep this meeting a secret," Kyoko promised, winking. Riku and Risa smiled and said their good-byes, then left. Nathalia, Emiko, and Kyoko all sighed as one, then all looked at each other in surprise. Emiko and Kyoko went down into the basement, and Nathalia turned back to Dark.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, her eyes softening.

"Tired," Dark replied quietly, his eyes closed. Nathalia reached up and took the cloth. She stood and held it under cold water until it was cool again, then put it back on Dark's forehead.

"Go to sleep, Dark," she whispered, leaning over to kiss Dark on the cheek. She sat next to him and leaned her head on his chest, and soon they were both dozing off. When Emiko came up from the basement, she glanced at them, then walked outside, sitting on the porch to wait for the men and Towa to return with the groceries.

Daisuke threw the net, and Kiri dropped down to collect the struggling woman. Neither of them knew why their Master wanted them to capture this woman, but their Master rarely told them _why_ he wanted them to do things. They were not created to ask why, they were created to serve their Master, or at least that's what their Master had said when they asked why he wanted the little girl. They pressed the gem on their bracelets, and there was a flash of light as they and their prisoner were transported to their Master's hideout. They left the captured woman in a cell and went to their Master's office to report their success. They were happy they'd succeeded again. Failure was not an option with their Master, and they would be severely punished if they failed a mission. Their Master was pleased, and allowed them to return to their cell to sleep.

Kyoko shook Nathalia awake quietly, then pointed to Dark. Nathalia's heart dropped as she recognized that he had gotten worse overnight. She turned to Kyoko.

"Can we have the room to ourselves? I need to examine him, but I don't want to move him," she whispered. Kyoko nodded and walked into the hallway, standing as a bouncer to make sure no one entered. Nathalia pulled the blanket off Dark, then began to unbutton his shirt. Once she had that off, she found a deep gash across his stomach that was bright red, and Nathalia could tell it was infected. She sighed.

"Why don't you ever tell me about these things?" Nathalia whispered to herself as she gently ran her fingers over the infected area. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small tub of cream, which she opened and began to spread around the wound.

"Nathalia, stop," Dark whispered, making a feeble attempt to push Nathalia's hands away. Nathalia glared at him.

"Dark, how could you not tell me about this? Worse, how could you let it get this infected? Are you trying to kill yourself? Why would you do this?" she demanded, tears beginning to form in her eyes. Dark reached up cupped Nathalia's chin with his hand, stroking her cheek with his thumb.

"I didn't want you to worry, Nats. I didn't think it would get this bad," he said, wincing slightly. Nathalia took his hand, then began rubbing the salve on his skin again.

"You know I only worry more when you don't tell me these things. If you'd told me right away, I would've been able to treat it and we wouldn't be in this mess," Nathalia informed him. Once the entire wound was covered, Nathalia pulled a feather out of an inner pocket and place it on top of the wound.

"Dark…I need you to sit up for a moment. Do you think you can manage that?" Nathalia asked gently. Dark nodded and pulled himself up, groaning as he did so. Nathalia sat in front of him, allowing him to lean against her. She began wrapping a bandage around his stomach, keeping the feather pressed against the wound.

"What's the feather for?" Dark whispered into Nathalia's ear.

"Luck," replied Nathalia simply. Once she was done bandaging him, she pushed him back down onto the pillow, leaning down and kissing his brow. She sat up and looked down at him, her eyes gentle.

"Nats, why are you doing this? You should be out looking for Daisuke and Kiri," Dark remarked, looking at Nathalia seriously.

"Isn't it obvious, Dark? I love you," Nathalia responded, stroking his cheek. She leaned down and kissed his brow a second time, then stood and replaced the cloth on his forehead with a cool one. She stayed with him all through the night, dozing off on his chest.

In the three months that Kiri and Daisuke could remember, they had captured almost a hundred people for their Master. He called them in front of him one evening, which was almost unheard of. He held up a picture and showed it to the two teens.

"Master, are these our next targets?" Daisuke inquired, wondering who these people were but knowing that to ask that was treason in Master's eyes.

"They might be. Do you recognize them?" Master responded. Kiri and Daisuke leaned forward so they could see the image a little better.

"I do not recognize the figures," Kiri said, shaking her head. Daisuke also shook his head.

"I don't either. Does that mean we are to target them?" he added. Master nodded.

"Yes. You must capture them for us. Return to your cell, I shall call you when it is time," Master told them. Daisuke and Kiri bowed slightly and left, returning to their cell.


	12. Chapter 12

**I suck. I know. It's true. I don't update for like, two days, and now when I finally do update the chapter is super short. I have a good explanation, I swear. My explanation is that I was without my computer for a day and a half, and then when I got it back I found an old Rurouni Kenshin fic that I'm working on completely redoing. So I suppose the good news is that you guys will be getting an RK fic soonish. The bad news is I suck. And, to top it all off, I leave you with the worst cliff-hanger ever. The good news is that you guys only have to deal with me for another 2 chapters of this. Maybe 3, I haven't quite finished this yet (really, I swear, I'm half-way through the last chapter). Please**** forgive me.**

**Disclaimer**

Nathalia re-applied the salve to the wound every day, and Dark began to improve. He woke up one day feeling almost as good as new, with only a slight fever. At one point Nathalia had moved Dark to Kyoko's bed, though Dark didn't really know when she'd done that. The past few days were rather blurry for him, and he barely even remembered being moved. Now, Nathalia slept soundly next to him, her head on his chest. When she felt him move, Nathalia jerked awake, looking around as though confused about where she was.

"Good morning sleepyhead," Dark greeted, his eyebrow raised. Nathalia glanced up at him, and the relief was plain in her face.

"Dark, you're okay," she whispered, sounding almost overcome. Dark grinned, chuckling.

"Of course I'm okay. I've got the world's best healer watching out for me," he responded, wrapping an arm around Nathalia.

"I'm not that good," Nathalia protested, glancing down. Dark chuckled again. He kissed her forehead and slid out of bed, swaying slightly as he stood. Nathalia hurried out to help him, but he pushed her away.

"I'm fine, Nats. Just a little groggy," Dark assured her, grinning. They walked downstairs and into the main room, where the Niwas and Kyoko were sitting eating dinner.

"Hey guys," they all greeted. Nathalia and Dark both nodded, then went outside.

"We should steal something tomorrow," Nathalia remarked, looking up at the stars.

"Sure. We can write the warning notice tonight," Dark agreed, nodding. Nathalia leaned against Dark's shoulder, and Dark wrapped an arm around Nathalia.

"Well, maybe we should-" Nathalia began to say.

"I love you too," Dark whispered, silencing Nathalia. She turned and looked at him.

"What?" she asked.

"Before, when I was first sick, you said you loved me. I never said anything, so now I'm telling you. I love you too," Dark explained. Nathalia's eyes widened, then she jumped into Dark's arms, burying her head in his chest. Dark laughed, hugging her tightly. The next night, they went to the art museum to steal a sculpture created by the Hikaris. On the way back, a net fell over Dark, causing him to spiral to the ground. Nathalia went to go after him, but another net fell over her, pulling her to the ground. They struggled to get out when a weight dropped on top of Dark, and another one dropped on Nathalia.

"Dark, what's going on?" Nathalia called, twisting to escape the net and the weight. She heard an 'oof' as whoever was on top of her fell off. Nathalia twisted to look, and found herself staring into Daisuke's eyes. Behind her, she heard Dark let out a shout of surprise. She turned and saw Kiri tackling Dark, a rope in her hands. Suddenly she felt Daisuke tying her hands together.

"Daisuke, what are you doing?" Nathalia demanded, struggling.

"How do you know my name?" she heard Daisuke ask.

"Daisuke, it's me, Nathalia," she said, struggling again.

"Nathalia, I don't think they remember anything," Dark called, trying hard not to hurt Kiri as he struggled against the ropes. Nathalia sighed.

"Sorry Daisuke," she whispered, then rocketed her head backwards, knocking Daisuke out. She pulled her hands out of the half-tied ropes and managed to cut through the net with a feather. She tied up Daisuke, then went over to where Dark was still struggling against Kiri carefully. Nathalia easily yet gently over-powered the younger girl and tied her up, placing her next to Daisuke. Nathalia lifted the net off Dark and he stood, looking at his friends.

"What happened to them?" Nathalia asked, fear in her voice.

"I don't know," responded Dark, taking a step forward to grab them. Suddenly there was a blinding light and they were both gone. Nathalia stopped, looking as though she had been slapped, then fell to her knees.

"They were so close," she whispered. Dark knelt and pulled Nathalia to him, then tried to spread his wings, wincing as he realized that they'd been damaged by the net. Instead he stood, pulling Nathalia up with him.

Kiri was terrified as she went to report to Master after leaving Daisuke in their cell. They had failed, and she knew Master would be angry with her. She walked into Master's office and bowed, gulping down her fear.

"Kiri, where is Daisuke?" Master demanded, glancing up at her.

"He was knocked out, Master. We have failed," Kiri told him, her throat catching in fear. Master seemed to read the fear in her face, and he stood, going to stand in front of her.

"Fear not, Kiri. I will give you two one more chance," Master told her, his voice sickly sweet.

"Thank you, Master. We will not fail you again," responded Kiri, bowing. Master waved her away, and she went back to her cell, taking care of Daisuke carefully. Their second chance came some time later, days were uncountable in their lightless cell. Master came to them, which was unusual in itself, and offered them advice, which showed how much he wanted them to capture this target.

"Remember, Kiri, Daisuke; if they struggle, just hold on and press the gem, they'll end up here no matter how much they struggle," Master informed them. Kiri and Daisuke nodded, then left, climbing to the rooftops to wait for their targets. The winged figures passed them, and the two teens followed the targets silently. They threw the nets again, and each jumped on top of one of the targets, pressing their gems immediately.

Nathalia grunted as Daisuke forced her into the cell, pulling the net away with the same motion. Dark landed next to her, looking up at their captors. There were no emotions in the eyes of either Daisuke or Kiri, and that scared both Dark and Nathalia more than anything else.

"Master will be in to see you in an hour, please do not attempt anything while he is here, or we will be forced to harm you, and Master prefers his prisoners to be healthy when he starts on them," Kiri informed them, closing the door. Nathalia turned to Dark, tears in her eyes.

"Dark, I don't know if I can do this again," Nathalia whispered. Dark pulled her close.

"We'll get through it Nathalia. Together, we'll escape, and we'll bring them with us," he promised, resting his chin on the top of her head. Nathalia nodded, the tears rolling down her cheeks now.

Kiri and Daisuke walked into Master's office, bowing, their eyes holding no sign of the relief they felt.

"Master, the targets are in their cell, waiting for you," Daisuke reported. Master nodded, then waved them away.

Krad watched as his servants left, then looked back at the papers on his desk. He laughed as he thought of what his former host would do, were he here. Krad waited another half hour, then could not wait any longer. He stood and made his way down to the cells, delighting in the sobs he heard throughout the long hallway. He opened the door to Dark and Nathalia's cell, smiling sadistically as he saw them break apart from a hug.

"How nice, you two are in love," he remarked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Krad, what did you do to Daisuke and Kiri?" Dark demanded angrily, taking a step forward.

"Nothing compared with what I'm going to do to you two," answered Krad, his eyes glinting evilly.

Kiri was dreaming. One of Master's newest prisoners, the man, was sitting on a bed next to her. He was talking to her, though she couldn't hear what he was saying. Kiri hugged him, tears streaming from her eyes.

"Dark," she heard herself say. She felt the man tighten his hold on her, nodding.

Daisuke glanced up as Kiri jerked awake. She breathed heavily for a few seconds, then turned to Daisuke.

"I think we made a mistake," she whispered, her eyes wide.

"With what?" Daisuke inquired curiously. He wondered what she could mean, they had been successful with all their missions recently, and Master was happy with them. Kiri sighed, knowing she would never make him understand unless she made him remember. She walked over to him and knelt in front of him. She gestured to her heart, then to his, then laced her fingers together tightly.


	13. Chapter 13

**So there's officially only one chapter after this one. I made this one extra long to make up for how bad I've been to you guys recently. There's a good possibility of the next one being long as well. I haven't finished it, but I'm working on it right now and assuming I can figure out presents, it should go pretty quickly. Anyway, I hope you enjoy.**

**Disclaimer**

Dark bit his lip, trying not to cry out as Krad hurt him again. He wanted to stay strong, for Nathalia's sake. Krad pursed his lips, then moved to Nathalia, beginning to hurt her, placing a feather on her arm and sending his magic through it. Nathalia screamed as she tried to pull away instinctively. Krad went to put the feather over her other arm when there was a knock on the door. Krad closed his eyes in suppressed anger.

"Enter," he called. Kiri and Daisuke entered, careful not to look at Nathalia and Dark. They both bowed, then Kiri stepped forward.

"Master, the other prisoners escaped while we were feeding them," she reported.

"What?" Krad demanded, his eyes flashing dangerously.

"We're sorry Master. They are now running free throughout the dungeon," Daisuke apologized, eyes cast downwards.

"I'll deal with you two later," Krad warned the two teens, leaving. Dark and Nathalia both sighed, avoiding looking at Daisuke or Kiri. Dark heard hurried footsteps, then winced as something hit him hard. At first he thought he was being attacked, but then he heard sobs and looked down, seeing Daisuke hugging him tightly. Dark's eyes softened, and he smiled fondly. He glanced at Nathalia, who was watching with a matching smile on her face.

"Daisuke, we need to get out of here," Kiri hissed from the doorway, her eyes pained. Daisuke nodded, then reached up and unlocked Dark's chains easily, then moved to release Nathalia. Kiri glanced back every so often from where she stood at the door, keeping watch in case Krad returned. Once both Dark and Nathalia were free, Kiri led the way carefully into Krad's office, leaving Daisuke to watch for Krad in the hallway. She went to the desk, picking the locks in the drawers, clearly looking for something. She finally found a small rod with a gem on the end that matched the gem on her bracelet. She held the two gems together, then ran out to Daisuke and did the same with his bracelet.

"We can leave now," Kiri announced, running back to Dark and Nathalia, Daisuke following closely.

"How are we getting out of here?" Nathalia whispered, looking as though she was about to pass out. Kiri grinned.

"Easy," Daisuke answered, also grinning. They both pulled white feathers from out of their pockets.

"Krad gave us these to use in case someone attacked while he was out. They don't hurt him, so he didn't feel worried about doing it," Kiri explained. She held the feather directly in the air, pointing the tip of the feather at the ceiling. She chanted something and a blast of magic was released from the feather, blasting a hole through the roof.

"That's great, but neither of us can fly," Dark pointed out, indicating his wings, which were bloody and cut up from the various things that had happened in the week since they'd been captured.

"We can," Daisuke assured him, Kiri nodding agreement. They took the feathers and spun them in fast circles, chanting, and soon they were growing wings, wincing with the pain of growing extra limbs. Kiri walked over to Nathalia and took her hand.

"Close your wings, Nats, and let me carry you for once," she commanded, smiling. Nathalia allowed her wings to disappear, and Kiri spread hers, which were as silver and metallic as Nathalia's wings. She placed Nathalia's hands on her shoulders, then took off, launching them easily through the hole in the roof, Daisuke not far behind them with Dark. Once they were hovering a few feet away from the roof, Kiri stopped and turned.

"Why are we stopping?" Nathalia whispered, only half-conscious. Kiri said nothing, she simply took the feather in her hand, then nodded at Daisuke. He took his feather out as well, and they both threw the feathers down, chanting. As soon as the feathers hit the building, they exploded, and the building burst into flames.

"What about the other prisoners?" inquired Dark, glancing at his friends.

"We led them about a mile away during lunch a couple of hours ago, when Krad left to buy some stuff," Daisuke explained.

"That's when we slipped the drug into Krad's food. He should be fast asleep by now," added Kiri, grinning.

"How long have you two been planning this?" Nathalia questioned.

"Doesn't matter. What matters is that we get you guys somewhere you can rest," answered Kiri. She flew off, Daisuke following closely. They landed somewhere in the forest, in the center of a small clearing. Kiri placed Nathalia on a particularly soft spot, and Daisuke placed Dark next to her. Kiri began to tend to their wounds, although she was not looking at either of them in the eyes. Daisuke was showing similar behavior as he built a fire. Finally, Nathalia could take the avoidance no longer.

"Why won't either of you look us in the eyes?" she demanded, trying to sit up but failing. Kiri shrugged, still not looking up. When she moved to Dark, he reached up, wincing as he stretched muscles stiff from being chained in one position for too long. Kiri flinched away from his touch, and he saw the glint of tears on her face. As she began to pull Dark's shirt off, revealing the many long, deep gashes that covered his chest, she broke down, sobbing onto his chest. Dark looked taken aback for a moment, then his eyes took on a joking glint.

"Why are you crying over me? I'm not dead yet," he joked lightly. Kiri lifted her head and looked at him, then wiped her tears away.

"I made you all wet," she remarked, pointing at Dark's chest. Dark lifted his head up slightly and looked at his chest, where there was a sheen of wetness. Kiri wiped it away with her sleeve, giving Dark an apologetic look.

"We don't blame you," he whispered, and Kiri looked into his eyes for the first time, then turned away, hating the gentleness she saw.

"But I-we…" Kiri began to protest, looking to Daisuke for help.

"Dark, we c-captured you and…." Daisuke added, trailing off as well. Dark sighed, then gestured the two teens closer, until they were both within reach. He wrapped an arm around each of them and pulled them down, so they were lying next to him. He looked them both in the eyes, making sure they were paying attention.

"We don't blame you. Nothing that happened when you were prisoners of Krad matters. Forget all about it," he told them, smiling.

"But Dark, we...we remembered everything three days ago…..but we didn't do anything until today….we could have saved you sooner," Kiri responded, looking down. Dark squeezed her gently, and she looked up at him.

"Kiri, if you'd acted sooner, you wouldn't have been so prepared. You probably wouldn't have pulled it off. A couple of extra days is nothing if it means we made it out safely," he said, rubbing her shoulder. Kiri nodded, tears now streaking her face again. She buried her head in his side, falling asleep quickly. On Dark's other side, Daisuke fell asleep against him as well, and soon Dark and Nathalia were also fast asleep.

Emiko and Kyoko were sitting on the couch, staring at the kitchen as Towa cooked. They hadn't talked much since Dark and Nathalia had disappeared. They were barely even eating or sleeping, despite Towa's enthusiastic efforts to get them eating. Kosuke and Daiki watched them worriedly, knowing how much strain fear could put on the body. Suddenly there was a knock on the door, followed by a soft thump. Kosuke stood and went to the door, opening it. His eyes widened in surprise as he saw Dark, Nathalia, Kiri, and Daisuke standing on the porch, all looking like they'd been through a lot recently. Although Dark and Nathalia were healing, they were still covered with gashes and bruises. Kiri and Daisuke looked half-starved, and all four of them were covered with dirt. Despite all this, they were all grinning happily.

"Hi Dad," Daisuke greeted. Kosuke looked overcome with emotion as he hugged Daisuke tightly. They heard running footsteps, then Emiko and Kyoko came into view, their faces eager. Kiri slid past the others and leapt into her mother's arms, tears streaming down both faces as they hugged. Emiko pulled Daisuke from Kosuke and began wiping him off with a rag, tears on her face as well. Kyoko finally let go of Kiri and went to Nathalia and simply stared into Nathalia's face gratefully. She pulled the taller woman into a hug, trying to thank her and see how she was all at once. After half an hour of heartfelt greetings, Kiri seemed to tire of all the hugging and crying and she turned, skipping into the house lightly.

"Hi Towa-san!" she called, waving to Towa, who was still in the kitchen so as to not disturb the families. Towa glanced up and grinned back at Kiri. The younger girl went into the refrigerator, gasped, then turned to the adults, who had walked in to sit at the table, leaving the couch for Daisuke, Nathalia, and Dark.

"We appear to have a tragedy playing out in this fridge," she stated, her tone serious.

"What's wrong?" Kyoko inquired, recognizing the slightly joking air in Kiri's words.

"There are no strawberries in here. Why do you people not have strawberries? This is complete heresy," she explained, opening the door wider so everyone could see into the fridge.

"That is quite a serious crime against humanity," Nathalia agreed, nodding. Kyoko looked from Kiri to Nathalia, then turned to Kosuke.

"How could you not buy strawberries?" she demanded, furrowing her brow in feigned anger.

"Yeah Kosuke? How could you do such a thing?" Emiko asked, also feigning anger. Kosuke looked at the four women, then threw his hands up in surrender.

"You guys caught me. I exist only to make life difficult for you," he said, nodding.

"Isn't that the only reason for the existence of all men? To make life difficult for women?" Kiri asked, cocking her head.

"True that," Kyoko consented, nodding.

"That's why there's art," Nathalia told them, nodding. The women in the room all laughed, while the men all glared. Daisuke, Kiri, Nathalia, and Dark ate dinner in that house, then Dark stood.

"We should probably get back to our house," he announced, turning as though to leave.

"Good night," Kosuke and Daiki called as they went into the basement.

"Guys, promise Emiko and I something," Kyoko commanded as soon as the two men were out of earshot.

"What is it, Mom?" Kiri asked, cocking her head.

"Don't go out for a while. Just go to school or here, but don't go any further than that," Emiko said. Kyoko nodded.

"We'll lie low for a while," Nathalia promised. The four of them left and walked into their house. Something small and fuzzy leapt up at Kiri, burying itself in her hair.

"Hello Wiz. I take it you missed us," Kiri remarked, grinning at the creature. They all went almost immediately to bed, Wiz opting to stay with Kiri. The house was silent for most of the next day, everyone still asleep. Kiri and Daisuke returned to school a week later, once they had made sure that Dark and Nathalia had been treated and were truly almost better. There was chaos when they walked into the building. Their mothers had briefed them on the story they'd prepared, and they found themselves repeating several times that they'd been with Kiri's grandparents for the past several months. During lunch, they noticed Satoshi sitting alone, watching the other students with something almost like guilt in his eyes. Kiri hopped up and skipped over to him, grinning as she sat down.

"Satoshi-san, is something wrong?" she asked, cocking her head.

"It's nothing, Kiri-san," Satoshi responded, smiling weakly.

"You know, Satoshi-san, you can't blame yourself for what Krad does. He left you because you were too good," Kiri told him, smiling. Satoshi looked at her with new hope in his eyes.

"You really think so?" he inquired curiously.

"Of course, Satoshi-san. Why else would he have left you? You fought because you didn't like what Krad was doing, and that means you're a good person," answered Kiri. Satoshi smiled at her.

"Thanks, Kiri-san," he said, grinning back at her.

"Why don't you come eat with Daisuke and I. We always love having company." Kiri stood and held out a hand to Satoshi. He took it and followed Kiri over to Daisuke, who grinned up at them. The three of them finished lunch together, laughing and joking. After school, Kiri told Daisuke to wait by the gates, then went and found Satoshi.

"Satoshi-san, you're coming over to our house today," she informed him, pulling his arm. Satoshi looked surprised, but allowed Kiri to drag him over to Daisuke. The three walked home, Kiri entertaining the two boys with an in-depth explanation of how she and Nathalia had stolen a sculpture from an art museum in their last town. When they arrived at home, Wiz jumped onto Kiri's shoulder and sniffed at Satoshi curiously.

"Hey Wiz. You want some strawberries, don't you?" Kiri asked as she walked into the kitchen. She opened the fridge and pulled out one of the seven bowls of strawberries, enough for one a day. She put the bowl down on the counter, and Wiz shared it with her as she watched Satoshi help Daisuke with homework. Kiri was about to grab her own homework when Nathalia walked in from outside, carrying a grocery bag.

"Hey guys," she greeted, putting the bag down on the counter.

"Hey Nats. Did you go shopping with Mom again?" Kiri inquired, beginning to help Nathalia put away the groceries.

"Yep. Dark is over in the Niwa house with Kosuke and Daiki. They said something about wanting some 'guy time'," Nathalia replied, rolling her eyes. Kiri laughed as she turned to put away some milk.

"They're definitely up to something," she decided, nodding.

"Definitely," agreed Nathalia. The two girls laughed, causing the boys to look up at them.

"Come on, you two. Can't you see we're working here?" Daisuke demanded with mock severity. Kiri giggled.

"Can't you see that's why we're being loud, Dai?" she retorted, sticking her tongue out playfully.

"Satoshi-san, would you like to stay for dinner?" Nathalia asked, glancing up from where she was writing something on a piece of paper.

"I really should be getting home," replied Satoshi, looking slightly shy.

"You're staying for dinner," Kiri told him, looking at him severely.

"O-okay," Satoshi gave in. Kiri nodded once, then turned to Nathalia, glancing at the paper she was writing on.

"Nats, you spelled that wrong," she remarked, pointing at something. Nathalia brought her head up to look at the word Kiri had indicated.

"No I didn't," she protested, shaking her head.

"There's no 'u' in 'Hikari', Nats. That should be an 'a'. And 'tomorrow' is spelled with one 'm' and two 'rs'," Kiri told her, pointing at the words.

"This is why you always used to do this," Nathalia complained, crumpling the paper and pulling a clean one out of a drawer. Kiri took the paper away and handed Nathalia a different sheet.

"I think Dark would murder you if you sent this out on a paper with butterflies all over it," she commented, waving the paper in the air. Nathalia sighed.

"Apparently I need to practice." She began writing again, then made a face and crumpled up that sheet when she made another mistake.

"You just need to slow down, Nathalia. Let me do it," Kiri instructed, grabbing a piece of paper and the pen. She began to write, and was finished within a few seconds.

"I thought you said I need to slow down." Nathalia raised her eyebrows.

"Please, Nats. I've grown up doing these. My mom used to have me write ten a day as practice. You always made me do it, and before that you made Mom do it." Kiri handed her the finished note, then went to her school bag and pulled out her homework, sitting next to Daisuke to work on it. She was just finishing up when Dark walked in from outside, looking tired. He waved idly at the teens on the couch, kissed Nathalia on the forehead, then disappeared into his room. Kiri and Daisuke glanced at each other.

"What was that about?" Daisuke asked Nathalia, who shrugged.

"How would I know. I told you, he was in the basement with Kosuke and Daiki having 'guy time'. For all I know they were performing ritual sacrifices down there," she replied, raising her hands in exasperation. When dinner was ready, Nathalia sent Kiri up to fetch Dark while she set the table. Kiri bounced up the stairs, knocked once on the door, then cupped her hands around her mouth.

"DARK! IT'S DINNER TIME!" she shouted, kicking the door hard. A few seconds of silence passed, and Kiri was drawing breath to shout again, when Dark emerged, pulling Kiri into a headlock and grinding his fist into her head playfully. Kiri reached up, fighting against Dark awkwardly.

"Ow, Dark, stop it," she whined, trying to get him to release her. Dark finally let her go, pushing her lightly as she began to head down the stairs. She tripped and rolled down the stairs, coming to a rest upside-down. She glared at Dark.

"Now you know how I feel when you SHOUT AT ME FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF A THIN DOOR!" Dark shouted at her, nudging her with his foot. Kiri popped up, then launched herself onto Dark's back.

"But Dark-chan, I know you have trouble hearing me over your gossiping, so I figured you'd hear better if I shouted," she said, grinning. Dark walked over to the couch, and Daisuke and Satoshi jumped out of the way as Dark flipped Kiri over his head and onto the couch. By now, Kiri was laughing almost uncontrollably, and Dark allowed a wide grin to spread across his face. He turned as though to walk away, then turned back quickly and started tickling Kiri, causing her to spasm and kick out as she laughed even harder.

"Children, dinner is ready," Nathalia announced, crossing her arms. Kiri and Dark both looked at her with pleading faces.

"But Na~ts," they both whined at the same time. Nathalia walked over and grabbed both of their right arms, dragging them to the table. After dinner that night, Dark agreed to walk Satoshi home. The two of them left, walking out into the cold night air. Halfway to Satoshi's home, Dark stopped and pulled Satoshi into an alley, glancing around to make sure no one was watching.

"Satoshi, I need to know I can trust you. I Know Kiri and Daisuke both do, and I trust their judgment, but I need you to promise you'll disregard anything you hear in our house," Dark stated. Satoshi looked up into his violet eyes, his own icy blue eyes earnest.

"Dark, ever since Krad left me, all I've wanted to do is live my life. I don't care about what you and Nathalia do," he said, looking down and blushing faintly. Dark smiled at Satoshi, and the two finished walking to Satoshi's house. As he was walking in, Satoshi turned to Dark, his eyes serious.

"Dark, I promise. My interest in Daisuke and Kiri is merely as a friend, and even that's not really on purpose. Kiri just sort of decided," he promised, smiling. Dark allowed a moment of paternal fondness to show.

"Yes, she's become rather forceful, hasn't she?" he agreed. Satoshi nodded, then walked inside. Dark walked home, looking as though he was deep in thought. When he walked inside, Nathalia and Kiri looked up from a map they were looking at. Daisuke wasn't around, and Dark assumed he was in his room painting something. Kiri hopped up and bounced over to Dark.

"Dark, you'll never guess what Nathalia tried to do," she said, her tone accusing.

"What?" Dark questioned, raising an eyebrow. Kiri pulled a blank piece of paper covered with butterflies out of her pocket.

"She wanted to send your next warning out on _this_," Kiri told him. Dark chuckled, taking the paper.

"I don't think it's _that_ bad," he said diplomatically. Kiri almost visibly deflated.

"Come _on_, Dark! The public would've lost all respect for you two," she stated. Dark pulled Kiri into a headlock.

"Kiri, if all it took for the public to lose respect in us was flowery paper, we're not doing our jobs correctly, are we?" he told her, grinning. Kiri freed herself and ran upstairs.

"Good night!" she called, running into her room. Daisuke looked up from where he'd been sitting on her bed. Kiri hopped up on the bed next to him and rested her head on his shoulder. Daisuke looked at her fondly. Kiri closed her eyes, smiling in contentment and Daisuke smiled while he watched her. He wrapped an arm around her, and soon they both fell asleep. Half an hour later, Nathalia glanced into the room, smiling fondly. She turned to Dark, who was standing outside their door, his eyebrow cocked. She walked over to him and buried her face in his shoulder. Dark looked at her in surprise as he realized that she was crying. He wrapped his arms around her and held her until she pulled back, wiping her eyes.

"Thanks Dark," she whispered, pecking him on the cheek then walking into their room, throwing herself onto the bed. Dark sat down next to her, rubbing her back comfortingly.

"What's up?" he inquired quietly.

"I don't know. Seeing Kiri peaceful like that….it's just been so long since I've seen her like that and it just…." Nathalia trailed off, her voice cracking slightly.

"I understand," Dark whispered. The two fell asleep soon after.


	14. Chapter 14

**This ended up being a lot shorter than I thought it would be, but I sorta struggled in certain parts and a part of me just wanted to get it done; this is the first chapter fic I've actually kept up with posting online, so there's that...there'll be more of an AN at the bottom, since a lot of things I want to say would be spoilerish.**

**Disclaimer.**

The next morning they were both awoken by a crash right outside their door, followed by a quieter crash and the sound of someone jumping. Nathalia stood and opened the door to see Kiri glaring at a box, Daisuke standing behind her laughing. Kiri glanced at Nathalia.

"The box tried to escape," she said, pointing at the box on the ground. Nathalia chuckled and picked up the box, carrying it downstairs to set it on their coffee table, over the maps and papers that had been left there the previous night. Kiri and Daisuke followed sheepishly, with Dark bringing up the rear.

"What's in here, Kiri?" Nathalia inquired as she sank into the couch. Kiri plopped down next to her, then leaned forward to open the box. The first thing she pulled out was a leather-bound book with a strap of leather holding it closed. She handed it to Nathalia, whose eyes were filled with recognition.

"So what, this is your keepsake box?" Dark questioned, sitting down on Kiri's other side.

"Mine and Nathalia's. Some of our earliest work is kept in here, along with most of my practice warning notes and our diaries and some…other stuff," responded Kiri, reaching in again and pulling out a sketchbook. This she handed to Dark, who opened it silently. On the first page was a drawing of a room, precise and clear down to the last detail. Daisuke sat down on Dark's other side, and together the two men looked through the drawings, which were all landscapes, rooms, and houses. Kiri, meanwhile, stood up and began digging through the box carefully, looking for something. She found a black diary down at the very bottom of the box, then plopped back down between Dark and Nathalia.

"Kiri, do you have to bring that out?" Nathalia demanded with a pained expression. Kiri nodded vigorously and opened the diary, allowing a black feather to fall onto her lap.

"This is yours, Dark," she told Dark, handing him the feather. Dark took it and glanced at Nathalia, who was looking away in embarrassment. Dark reached across Kiri to turn Nathalia's face towards him.

"How long have you had this?" he questioned gently.

"Since the night Kaen locked us in a room together," Nathalia responded, blushing slightly. Dark chuckled and turned back to Kiri's sketchbook. An hour later, it was time for Kiri and Daisuke to leave for school, and they walked out the door happily, waving at Dark and Nathalia as they left. As soon as the teens were out of sight, Nathalia turned to Dark.

"It's almost Daisuke's birthday," she remarked.

"I know," Dark said, nodding.

"What are we going to do?" inquired Nathalia, looking at Dark curiously.

"You are going to help me get him a gift. The parents are doing all the decorating, cooking, and planning. Emiko said that we didn't need any more stress in our lives," Dark responded, pulling Nathalia a little closer.

"Well then I suppose we should start thinking about what to get him," Nathalia decided, turning and walking back to the couch. They sat down together, both looking thoughtful. They spent most of the morning coming up with ideas, then after lunch they went over to the parents' house, where Kyoko and Emiko were watching TV and Daiki and Kosuke were in the basement. Dark went to join the two men, while Nathalia stayed with the other women in the living room, discussing party ideas. Dark and Nathalia went back to their house ten minutes before Daisuke and Kiri returned home, and when they walked in the door, they dropped their bags and flopped onto the couch.

"How was your day?" Nathalia inquired from the kitchen, the very picture of innocence. Kiri and Daisuke both narrowed their eyes at her, moving their gazes between the two adults. Kiri seemed to catch on, and almost instantly, the suspicious air dissipated.

"School was fantastic," she began, grinning. "Satoshi-san informed us that Krad got caught in the explosion. He said he wanted to tell us earlier, but until yesterday he wasn't sure how we would react if he approached us."

"He seems much more comfortable around us now," added Daisuke, nodding. "He might even come to that surprise party you're planning." Nathalia and Dark both gaped at him, while Kiri and Daisuke both smirked.

"Kiri, did you tell him?" Dark demanded, furrowing his brow.

"Daisuke figure it out," Kiri replied defensively.

"It was pretty obvious. You guys did the exact same thing for Kiri," Daisuke told them, shrugging. Nathalia sighed dramatically, causing Dark to chuckle.

"Well, yes, we're planning a party on Saturday," he conceded, nodding. "Just try to act surprised for your mother. She's really looking forward to this."

"Of course," Daisuke assured him, grinning. After that, Saturday came rather quickly, everyone but Daisuke was busy working on presents. That morning, the four of them went over to their parents' house, which someone, most likely the mothers, had heavily decorated with streamers and balloons. Daisuke kept up the lie that they were just going over for a small lunch, though thankfully he didn't have to fake his surprise when Kiri uncovered his eyes. Kyoko and Emiko had really gone all out with decorations, and the tiered cake on the table was easily two feet tall. Everyone was there; Emiko and Kyoko stood in the doorway to greet him, while Daiki and Kosuke sat at the kitchen counter. Even Satoshi was there, sitting on a chair next to the couch. Daisuke grinned at everyone as he and Kiri took seats on one end of the couch, Nathalia and Dark taking the other end.

"First things first," Emiko started, sitting on a chair across from her son.

"PRESENTS!" exclaimed Kyoko, pulling a pile of presents out of a closet. She set the pile down on the coffee table, and handed a large flat one to him, from Kiri. He pulled open the wrapping paper to reveal a large painting of him dressed as Dark standing on a skyscraper in front of a full moon. Daisuke grinned, pecking Kiri on the cheek, causing Kiri to giggle happily. Emiko and Kyoko both gave Daisuke clothes, while Daiki and Kosuke had pooled their money together and had bought him a game system along with a few games. Satoshi gave him a plain journal with a black leather cover. Nathalia gave him a new backpack, which was a dark purple with black seams and grey buckles and adjustment straps. The final present, from Dark, was a shark tooth on a black cloth necklace.

Once all the presents were over, they moved to the table to eat an early dinner, after which they attacked the cake, eating more than they should. They spent the rest of the day sitting around talk and laughing, until dusk, when Daisuke and Kiri left to walk Satoshi home. Emiko and Kyoko were worried, but acknowledged that they would have to let the teenagers out some time. Nathalia and Dark helped, making sure to keep the two distracted with games and childish antics.

Meanwhile, Kiri and Daisuke dropped Satoshi off at home, then Daisuke led Kiri to their usual field overlooking the sea. They sat together, gazing at the stars and watching the waves, for almost an hour before Daisuke turned to Kiri.

"Kiri, you know I love you, right?" he inquired curiously.

"Yes. And I love you too," responded Kiri, smiling. Daisuke glanced down, appearing to be gathering his courage.

"What do you think about getting married?" Daisuke questioned. Kiri gave him a surprised look, and Daisuke hurried to elaborate. "Not right now. I mean later, when we're older." Kiri looked towards their joined hands, looking thoughtful.

"Yes," she finally assented. "I would love to marry you." The two hugged. They didn't return home until almost two hours later, stopping by their parents' home first to let them know they were alright before heading to their own home to sleep.

~10 Years Later~

Nathalia leaned against the vanity while Kiri spun around slowly, showing off the flowing dress she was wearing.

"You look beautiful, Ri," Kyoko remarked as she walked in from the hallway, a veil in hand. Kiri turned to face her, smiling widely.

"Thank you, Mom," she responded, hugging her mother. Kyoko placed the veil on her daughters head, kissing her forehead before draping the lace over her face. Nathalia and Kyoko walked in front of her as they moved out to begin the walk down the aisle.

Daisuke stood at the altar, picking at his cufflinks nervously, causing Dark to chuckle quietly from beside him.

"Calm down, Daisuke. It's not really as bad as what people say," he whispered, glancing towards where his own wife had just started down the aisle next to Kyoko, both wearing sky blue dresses and carrying bouquets of blue hydrangeas. They arrived at the front of the church and stepped to the side. The music changed, and Kiri appeared in the doorway, a radiant smile on her face. Daisuke smiled as he watched her visibly restrain herself from skipping down the aisle. Even now, she was as bouncy as she had been at fourteen. She reached the altar and they grinned at each other before turning to face the pastor. The wedding went as typical weddings do, ending with a passionate kiss and lots of laughter.

At the reception, Kiri and Daisuke laughed all through dinner, dancing less than gracefully but with no less happiness. They smothered each other with cake, but didn't eat any more after that, choosing instead to play games with their niece and nephew, whom Dark and Nathalia had adopted a year after their wedding. They were biological twins, with red hair and green eyes, differing only in personality. Their niece, Yuka, was quiet and reserved, speaking only when she had to. When she laughed, it was a quiet chuckle. Her eyes, however, expressed every emotion she felt, glittering when she was happy, dulling when she was sad, and flaming when she was angry. On the other hand, her brother, Yasunari, was loud and boisterous, voicing every thought to come to his head. Despite that, the two nine-year-olds got along well, never more than ten feet away from each other, and each one fiercely protective of the other.

Later that night, while Daisuke and Kiri were curled up together, Kiri turned to her new husband, grinning happily.

"I'm so glad we're finally married," she whispered, pecking him on the lips.

"Me too," he replied, deepening the kiss.

~End~

**So it's done, over, fin. ****There's a possibility I might do a series of drabbles based around Dai and Kiri and their relationship, and Nats and Dark and their children. I can feel my muse moving around a bit on that, but I don't know. So for now, you'll have to be happy with this. **

**Three things about the wedding:**

**1. I messed with the procession a little bit, mostly because Kiri doesn't have a Father and I didn't feel like doing the whole "suddenly her father wants to be her best friend" and she didn't really have any father figures, but also because I wanted Dark up there with Daisuke the entire time.**

**2. I used a pastor, because I'm American Baptist and we have pastors, and my mom and three of my aunts are pastors, so that's just what I'm used to.**

**3. I breezed through it because I didn't feel like writing out the vows and the exchanging of the ring and all that because I'm lazy and because I figured you all probably already know what all that is like.**

**And about Dark and Nats's kids, they're Irish. I don't say it, but they are. I loosely based them off my family (we don't have any twins, but my cousin and I are close enough, although we're both girls and I'm not a redhead, but whatever). Anyway, like I said, I might write more about them, I don't know 'cause I'm not great at writing kids.**

**Also, if you want to see Dai's backpack that Nat's gave him, go here http:/www. polyvore .com/quad_pack_school_backpacks_at/thing?id=9318066****, just remove any spaces, and imagine it with the colors I gave it. Not sure you care, but it's my backpack, so I care ;p**

**And now I'm going to stop talking before you all hate me.**


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